Frozen Hearts: The Unorthodox Edition
by NeoAlchemist
Summary: What if Hans and Elsa actually knew each other? Uncover the pasts that shaped their presents, relive the 'slightly' alternative Frozen and reveal what may happen in the future. Can his 'frozen heart' truly thaw? Or are the scars just too deep? His thirst to overpower his brothers too great? And how can she grow to forgive him, and thaw his heart, when hers was just as "frozen".
1. Prologue

Almost (meaning all) of my friends dislike Hans so much, saying how he's a total jerk and all, but in truth, I feel a little sympathy for him, and so, I made this fanfic so that you'd all get to know his (secret) side of the story and a little more. Please read and enjoy. Oh, and heads up, this is the **PROLOGUE** when they're still kids and have kid-like personalities. I figured that their actual natures didn't start to develop until later on, and I apologize if I'm a little OOC (still a newbie to this). Enjoy, read, and please tell me your opinion on it.

* * *

><p>Prologue:<p>

"Papa can I please, please, _please _go?" The little girl begged her father while continuously tugging on her mother's dress. "Just this _once_! I _promise_!" Her mother laughed and her father sighed, but they still smiled.

"Okay, Elsa. Just this once. But don't go getting into trouble, okay dear?" The girl squealed and ran up the stairs to her room. "I have a day dress just for this!" Her mother, the queen, shook her head lovingly, then called the maid near them who held a little baby. "Eveline, will you help assist Elsa into her clothing, please? She seems to be too excited to do it herself." she finished with a smile. The maid nodded and cooed the baby, making her way to the upper floor.

"Oh dear, I picked the dress, but what about my shoes!?" Elsa was half dressed, with her undergarments showing and the dress hanging loosely on her shoulders. Then a knock came in followed with her maid. Elsa lit up at the sight of the baby and went towards them in a skip. "Hi baby Anna! Today I'm going to meet new people! And some of them are close to my age, well, I think they are. I hope you could come too.. But you can't walk or talk yet though. Or else I'd always dance with you." she finished with a pout.

The maid, Eveline, slowly laid Anna into her crib then went behind Elsa to zip up her dress, tying a blue satin ribbon to finish it off. She wore a white simple short-sleeved dress that ended at her knees in a frill. Her neck ribbon was also a blue lace that matched well with her hair.

"Thank you, Miss Eveline! Oh and don't worry, I have a dress just for the ball too!" Elsa then went to her closet again. "Miss Eveline, what shoes do you think is fit for a lady?" Then she picked up a pair of three inch heels and held it up to her maid with a bright smile. "How 'bout these? Tall ladies are always beautiful!" But Eveline shook her head. "Not for a five year old girl, Elsa. Here, what about these ones? They match well with your attire." Picking up a set of simple black shoes and white stockings. Elsa thought long and hard, then complied. "I guess they'll do, for now. Thank you Miss Eveline." she said as the maid assisted her with putting them on. Touching the girl's hair, a blue satin bow was clipped at the bottom of the short braid. While Elsa admired herself in the mirror, the maid prepared her luggage.

And with that, they exited the room, Elsa holding her hand and the small suitcase while Anna was cradled in the other. When Elsa saw her parents she squealed again.

"Mama! Papa! What are you waiting for? Let's go." she giggled. But before she could scramble out the door her father caught her and she shrieked happily. Putting her to his front, he then looked at her sternly. "But before we go, you promised-"

"-that I won't cause trouble or use my magic. I know papa," She put her head up diligently. "I just want to see more people. Is it true they're my age?" Her mother put her hand to his shoulder. "It's okay dear," Then to Elsa, "Yes, there's a few princes that may be a few years older, but I'm pretty sure one or two of them are only about the same age you. But remember, this is a ball to celebrate the king's birthday in which we'll be staying for only today and then tomorrow. And like papa said, no using your magic today or the next day until we get back home."

"Yes mama. I swear on chocolate that I won't." They then smiled and went on their way. Then Elsa went back and kissed the sleeping baby the maid held. "Bye bye baby Anna! I'll see you later. I'm going to the Southern Isles."

* * *

><p>The boy hid. Not from the new faces that passed on by without noticing him. But from the familiar ones who sought him out.<p>

"Haaaans. Come out, come out, wherever you are~"

"You still owe us a favour! And we want it now. You can't hide forever you know. It's father's birthday."

The auburn head retreated further back into his hiding place. He was glad that none of the visitors glanced his way because his brothers were among them. And they were scary when they blended in with the crowd trying to find him. _Please don't look at me. They'll catch me_.

Just then, a carriage pulled up to the left of the cobble-stone road, and out came a young couple, with a trail of servants behind them carrying their luggage.

And a little girl, with palest blond he's ever seen; almost white actually. Her dress was also white, with a few blues here and there. Her eyes, he noticed, were a few shades lighter than sapphire, so unlike anything he ever saw. Then those light sapphire-like eyes turned to him, and their eyes met.

"So... pale," he thought with a slight frown. "Is she sick?"

She seemed confused, then began walking towards him. The boy panicked at this. _No, no, don't come towards me._

Then the couple from earlier called, "Elsa. Hurry up." and she looked towards them with a soft smile and went her way. He sighed in great relief and relaxed a bit.

Looking up again, he saw the faces of his twin older brothers. "Found you, Hans~" they said in unison and roughly pulled him out of the bushes.

* * *

><p>The sun was still high in the sky as Elsa and her parents had their things unpacked and Elsa ran out to the balcony. "Mama! Summer is so great here! The breeze is nice and cool too! Can I go out to play? Maybe I'll encounter one of the princes here."<p>

"Okay dear, but don't wander too far. And take an escort with you just in case." She leaned back against the railing and moaned. "But mama!"

"No buts."

"..ohhh-kay." she said exasperatingly.

Elsa walked down the halls with an annoyingly silent escort trailing on behind her. Her shoulders hunched and she would take random side-long glances at him. His nose was deeply hooked and his french moustache made him seemed like the type that would rather stay confined in libraries, reading all day long. Pouting, Elsa then spotted something through the window beside her.

But she wasn't able to go to it because of the annoying shadow that trailed behind her. "Time to lose him," she mumbled under her breath while smirking. Immediately turning a corner, she came across a room of glass sculptures and green plants. Thinking fast, Elsa created a wall of ice across one of the close corners of the room, hiding behind it with a mischievous grin. The man frantically passed by her unknowingly, calling out her name. "Princess Elsa! Princess Elsa!"

"What an ironically stupid man. Can't he tell the difference between ice and glass?" She rolled her eyes and slowly unveiled herself once his shadow disappeared into the next hall. Then looking around herself, she noticed that this was not only a glass hall, but it held several plants in a decorated organization. "A greenhouse... huh." Walking around, she saw several waterfalls and leaves bigger than her face. She giggled at the sight of one and hugged it close. But then frost appeared where her hands touched and she recoiled back. "Oops.."

Whistling away, Elsa went out to where she saw a glimpse of something interesting before which led to the courtyard, but she didn't stop there. She went towards the thing she saw from earlier through the window. Turning the corner, she found that the one she was looking for wasn't there, but instead a few droppings of blood.

Small fear creeped to the back of her throat and Elsa held her hands to her chest in nervousness. But she held it in and followed the trail it left. It led towards the bushes but when Elsa crept through it, she was only greeted with the cobalt wall. Frowning, the trail seemed to go past it though, as if the person walked through it. Then an idea popped up in her head. It wasn't a smart one, almost obvious, but she tried it anyway. Pulling the wall back, expecting it to come off lightly, it instead didn't move an inch. She sighed and leaned back on it, and the wall budged back.

Mesmerized by the sudden movement, she proceeded forward and put the wall chunk back in its place and turned to see her new surroundings.

This wasn't like the courtyard from earlier; instead it was a small, empty and more like abandoned and torn up enclosure. There was mostly sand and chunks of cobble stone here and there. Large wood frames protruded from the walls of the small place, creating soft shadows against the midday light that poured from above. And sitting in the middle, looking up, was the small boy she saw earlier in the bushes.

At the sound of her coming he whipped his head and immediately stood up, obviously startled and shocked. "H-how'd you find this place? Me?" She couldn't say anything. His nose was bleeding and there were scrapes and bruises all over his arms. But what surprised her the most was his eyes. They seemed angry – but also lifeless at the same time, as if a greater force put them out just moments before. She gripped her dress and tried to muster what words she could. "I... I saw your trail of blood and – and I thought that you were hurt... Are you hurt?" she finished feebly. But the boy sniffed and turned around, plopping right back onto the sand. "I'm fine. Go away, Pasty."

Elsa fumed red at this. "My name isn't Pasty."

"By the way you look, it should be." Oh she wanted to throw icicles at this boy. She could feel the frost forming on the tips of her fingers.

But she would remain calm. Taking a deep breath Elsa went to sit beside him, tucking her knees to her face and crossing her small arms around them. "Why were you hiding in the bushes earlier?"

"It's none of your business."

"...O-okay."

The boy leaned away from her, plainly disturbed that she was there. Long seconds of silence ticked by. Then he broke the silence. "Please don't tell anyone of this place." Elsa smiled. "Don't worry, I won't." Another long pause. Awkward silence was the only thing that kept them company. She saw that he wore a white shirt with a simple light grey jacket and trousers, all dirtied, bloodied and bruised. The girl wondered how he came to be like this.

Elsa then blurted out, out of nowhere, "Would you like to be my friend?"

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><p>"Would you like to be my friend?" the girl suddenly said aloud. Hans' eyes widened at this. No one had ever said that to him. His brothers would always drive them away. Also, Pasty here was just too suspicious. "Why would I want to be your friend?" Her face fell, and he felt a little bad for saying that. Not knowing what else to do, the boy just tucked his head into his knees. "How can I be friends with someone I don't even know.. Go back." he mumbled.<p>

A few beats went by with nothing but the quiet air. Though he didn't see it, he could tell that the girl was smiling. Why would she be smiling? _M__aybe she really is sick._

"My name is Elsa."

Hans looked up. "What?"

Again she repeated, "My name is Elsa. Not Pasty. Now you know who I am."

He snorted softly and rolled his eyes, then grimaced, wiped his hands across his still bleeding nose. The girl giggled too, for a few seconds – until she again stared at his injuries. "Did those two boys do that to you?"

"No, I fell..."

"...O-okay."

Silence again. 'Elsa' then wobbled in front of him, until they were in the same eye level. "Wanna see something cool?" This perked his interest, but only slightly. "Depends." She smiled at him, her white teeth only making her seem even paler. "Look,"

Rolling her hands in front of herself, what seemed to be like... snow, formed out of them. He couldn't help it; he was mesmerized. Curiosity and awe were the only emotions that filled him as soon as the magic begun. After a small snowball was formed, she lightly threw it up in the air and little snowflakes drifted down upon them. It was magic. This pale and weird girl held powers of sorcery. He only read it in books, but none of them could be compared to what he saw right now. Some landed on his nose and it stung a bit, but he didn't mind. It was so... "beautiful," Looking up, then at the strange girl. Instantly his eyebrows raised and he blushed, noticing that he said it out loud. "I mean... It – it is cool.."

But then she put her fingers to her lips and shushed him. "Shh. I don't want mama and papa to find out because they told me not to use my magic here. But since you're now my friend, I think you deserve to know." Elsa finished off in a giggle and grin. He kept a straight face which remained tinged with pink, then sniffed and wiped his nose again.

The girl was staring at his hand. She then rolled her hands again and formed a smooth and round piece of.. ice? Before Hans could figure out what she was up to, she held the piece to his injuries and he howled at the pain.

Again she shushed him. "You don't want people to find out, right? So sshh." He pouted and looked down at his arm. Eventually the stinging receded and it felt a little better. The strange thing was that the ice never melted, nor did it drip into his wounds; it was just there, providing him only the coolness of it. Elsa then lifted it and untied what seemed to be her neck ribbon. She wrapped it around his hand. "You said you fell, right? There's a scrape on your hand. You should be careful next time you fall," The strange girl only concentrated at his hand, not looking up. "Something could really break if you keep on tripping." She finished off with a cute bow at the top of his hand and he stared at it. This was the first time anyone besides the nurse or health doctor ever treated his wounds, and it was always so sharply done.

"Thanks," was all he could manage. If he said any more, he was afraid he'd cry.

It was then when he heard a snobby voice call 'Princess' Elsa's name and she groaned.

* * *

><p>That night, as Elsa prepared for the ball with her parents, she couldn't help but think of the boy who hid in that small space. Now that she mentioned it, he never told her his name. Hopefully she'd be able to see him there. From the way he knew the place, she assumed that he was one of the princes. Now as to find out which one. Ah well, she'd save it for tonight.<p>

She wore a light baby blue dress that ended at her knees in an embroidered white lace. Her collar was also a white lace and the transparent short sleeve she wore under was a shade of cotton white and pale azure. This was the dress that she prepared for tonight. Wearing the same simple black shoes and white knee socks, she paraded out into the hall with her parents.

The location of the ball was truly a unique place, for the dance floor was a giant balcony just at the shore of the lake it overlooked. Many people were already inside chatting amongst themselves. Lamps were lit everywhere and even rowboats with lanterns helped set a romantic and festive atmosphere. Some couples rode upon them, with a servant who rowed the boats for them. Candles scattered across the lake, and the whole place was simply magnificent. "Oh it's so lovely," the queen claimed. "I wonder how such a beautiful area was found so close."

Elsa never thought that the Southern Isles held this kind of setting, with a forestry air to it. To her it sounded more like a tropical area, with islands everywhere and coconut trees growing in random places. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like her own home, just a little less brilliant, of course.

Stoned steps lead to the ballroom/balcony and Elsa skipped on the different steps until she made it to the entrance, and _boy,_ the smell hit her. So lavish, it made her mouth waver. "Mmmm... chocolate!" But before she could march on in, her parents held her back. "Etiquette, Elsa." they reminded her politely. She realized this and held herself back.

"The king and queen of Arendalle, and their lovely daughter Princess Elsa of Arendalle." a servant announced. Scanning the crowd, for her friend, she saw no sign of him anywhere and her face fell. So she went to the dinner table and grabbed a plate full of chocolates and other sweets. Sighing, she popped one in her mouth. The sweetness of milk chocolate seemed to lighten her mood a little better. But only a little.

"Psst, Elsa." She looked around the dance floor but saw no one looking for her. She shrugged and continued to eat. "Pasty!" came the harsh whisper again. The girl frowned and looked down. Curious, she lifted the table cloth and saw him. The boy who she helped stared up at her from underneath and she smiled. He was now freshly dressed, in a blonde shirt and white jacket with golden laces. His trousers were navy blue and he wore black shoes that suited him quite well. His hair was combed back and styled nicely, showing off his jade green eyes. At least they weren't as lifeless as before. "What are you doing in there, friend?"

"It's Hans."

She looked at him in confusion. He sighed.

"I never told you my name. Well, now you know it. Calling me 'friend' like that makes me uncomfortable."

"Well, so is 'Pasty'. Anyway, what are you doing down there?"

Regardless, she crawled underneath the table too with her plate and popped another chocolate in her mouth. He also had a plate, but they were full of sandwiches. Taking one he bit into it, then sighed with satisfaction. "I'm hiding. My brothers always get me into trouble. But it's incredibly hard to lie low since there's twelve of them. So I just either play nice or hide." Elsa pondered at this. "Why would you want to hide?" He frowned. "Because it's the only thing I can do right now."

The two kids listened softly to the music around them, a quick ballad, and she peeked from underneath the table. The sounds around them were festive and Elsa smiled at this. They were both on their stomachs, their heads on their arms as they looked towards the couples dancing. "Where are your brothers?" Elsa asked. But Hans kept a straight face.

Finally he pointed to a couple dancing gracefully on the dance floor. "That one is William. The oldest. He never has time to see me, or bothers to make any, pretending I'm invisible." Then he pointed to three other boys talking to a group of older ladies. "The one to the right is Adam. He's ten years older and for some reason thinks me being near him is annoying. The one standing too close to the lady with the grotesque frock is Edvard. I hate him – he always tries to make me miserable. And the one that's only three years older than me is Thomas. He's okay, I guess. We don't talk much to each other, but that's the nicest the meanie heads have been to me," Then he added with in a whisper, "Other than you, of course." Elsa looked at him and nudged his side. "What about the rest?" The boy then held up his fingers. "They're either in the dance floor or somewhere else that I don't know," He then pointed to two of his fingers.

"Isak and Markus are third and eighth in line – they also ignore me. Oh, and Isak is a scholar. My brother, Lennart, is a politician, so he thinks my presence is weightless compared to his work. Then there's Sigmund - He's the general of the Southern Isles army; he doesn't pretend I'm invisible but I think he tries his best to avoid me... Ruben doesn't really care about the throne, only ways to make me unhappy. Georg is very rude to me too, after I hit him by accident. Also, the twins, Aghi and Kasper. I also hate them 'cause they _always _find ways to get me into trouble and blame me for what they do. Then there's the king and queen, who don't pay much attention to me because I'm last in line."

Elsa's frowned at this. Was he really that unloved?

"Why do you call them 'king and queen'? You shouldn't say that even if they don't pay much attention." she stated. But the boy simply shrugged.

"Well, at least you have me." she joked, trying to lighten the mood. He smiled a bit at this. Trying to change the subject she went looking around, now able spot his brothers. All of them seemed so nice at first glance. They each held very similar looks despite their different hair and eye colours. But Han's hair was a rich auburn, and she couldn't help but gaze at it. Almost the opposite from her titanium blonde braid.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

"You were looking at something."

"No I wasn't."

Elsa turned away from him and once again looked back at the dancers. She wished she could dance too, even if Hans' mean brothers were there. And for some reason, he seemed to notice this. He put his head to the side and looked up to Elsa. "Would... you like to dance..? With me?"

Then Hans suddenly froze before she could reply. There was barking in the background, and Elsa heard it too. Soon, two dogs came barrelling in and ran straight towards them. Elsa felt Hans push her aside from under the table and take the full blow of the large beasts. Looking back, Elsa saw that they were drooling all over him and eating his sandwiches. "Agh, ack, h-hey! Get off me! No! My sandwich!" he shouted. But they wouldn't stop and kept on barking. The music ceased and the food section of the ball was ruined. And everyone stared

– at Hans.

Elsa looked to the king and queen of the Southern Isles – they didn't do anything except stare as well, and quite angrily. The only noise in the room was the howling and barking of the dogs and – ever so softly, the faint laughter of – Elsa looked around – two boys just outside the ball room. "Aghi and Kasper," she breathed under her breath. "They really are meanies."

During the somewhat silence, Hans slowly burned redder and redder until his whole face was scarlet with embarrassment. The maids hurried over and some guards as well, cleaning up the mess and dragging the dogs out. Hans was left there, defenceless against the stares.

_He's not the slightly rude boy from before anymore,_ Elsa thought. _He's just being treated unfairly._ She couldn't bear to see him like this any longer. Mustering up her courage against the stares, the girl went to him and took his hand, dragging him along behind her as she ran away. He didn't protest.

* * *

><p>He could hear her parents call her from behind, but the girl ignored them. Before they knew it, she and Hans were sitting by themselves, in the far side of the small lake; the balconyballroom on the other side. No one came to look for them. _Of course, no one ever looks for me. Unless they want something from me, _he retorted. She threw a pebble into the lake and it sunk with a plop. "Why is everyone like that to you?" Elsa said angrily. The next rock she threw turned to an icicle and stabbed at the water. "Remind me not to get on your nerves." he laughed. Still, she looked at him with concern. "How can you not be upset?!" Hans shrugged. "I guess I'm just not." He lied. Looking sideways at her he saw that her eyebrows dropped into points and her mouth pursed when she was angry. "Why are _you upset_?"

"Just because."

It was silent and Elsa brought her knees even higher to her face. Bringing her hand out, she created snowflakes and wonders of ice art. Despite what just happened, Hans couldn't help but stare at them, like before. Her magic always seemed to make him feel calmer and forget about all the bad things in his life. Or maybe it was just her presence. She then brought her hand closer to his face and unleashed a small flurry. "Your hair is a mess." she simply stated before the cold wind blasted in his face, slicking his hair back. Putting his hand to his head, he felt that it was a little stiff with frost. Glancing back at Elsa, she simply shrugged and smiled. "It's the best I can do."

Hans shook his head, a small, unnoticeable smile creeping on his lips. "Thanks." Elsa added a snowflake clip to top off his hairstyle, showing off his jade eyes and pink tinge even more. "No problem."

He shook his head. "No," Pause. "Thanks, for being my friend." There was another pause, and after a few beats Elsa replied, "You're welcome."

After that the two kids talked and talked the rest of the night, about nothing in particular. Elsa would mention her powers here and there, about how she was born with it. But most of the time it was her sister that occupied her thoughts. How amazing 'Anna' was and how she could tell Anna was going to be a happy person from the way the baby always smiled. Most of the time Hans would just listen intently, just happy that someone was actually keeping up a conversation with him. Eventually he too, opened up just a bit. And next thing they knew, they were both laughing, their backs to the ground, watching the stars. The ball was once again filled with music again, almost forgetting what happened before.

He then told her what happened during his day. "... I owed my brothers a favour," Hans started off. "It was a long time ago – probably a year – when I told them that I would take care of their dogs on dad's birthday if they were to teach me how to get my plans achieved. I got tired of them bullying me and I wanted them to know it. But they really did teach me. I remember them saying, 'manipulation works magics.'" He could feel Elsa look to him but he kept his face straight, staring at the stars. They were so mysterious, like Elsa's magic. The boy was thankful that she didn't say anything even though he could feel her gaze on him.

"Anyway, earlier, I really did fall. Off the tree, that is. They didn't beat me up. I got scared, and climbed up because their dogs were chasing me. The dogs that I was suppose to take care of. When they finally went away with their beasts, I was left alone – on the tree. And I got hurt trying to get down." Elsa frowned and bit her lip. "That's awful, Hans. If only I knew. But now I won't let that happen so long as I'm here, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." the boy murmured. They were still again, but this time a peaceful blanket came over them. Only the music from afar could be heard.

He then looked to her and she stared back. "Elsa,"

She smiled. "Yes?"

His heart beat and his face flushed slightly red. "U-uhm... What was I gonna say again..? O-oh yeah – uh, Elsa?"

"Yes?" He was glad she was patient. This made him a little more calm. "I think I'm happy when I'm with you. You don't make me feel sad. Elsa, do I love you?"

But she quickly replied with a small but mature glimmer. "Hans, I think you mean friendship? Surely people don't just fall in love in the first day they meet. At least, that's what Ms. Eveline told me. Besides, mama told me not to allow courting until I'm at least twenty." Hans pondered at this. Maybe she was right. She was his first actual friend after all. He continued, "Yeah, I guess friends are suppose to make each other happy. But I really think I love you. My heart pounds and you help me forget 'bout those around me." At this, he stared at her light sapphire eyes, as beauteous as her magic. To him she didn't seem that pale anymore, but more like a soft light against the twilight.

"Hans."

He flushed red. "Y-yeah?"

"You're only seven."

His face fell. "Yeah.."

"And we just met this morning."

He felt like a small icicle hit his back. "Yeah. You're right. We're just friends, Pasty."

Elsa pouted and hit him. "I thought you got rid of that nickname!" They both laughed, Hans a little more than Elsa because of her slight anger.

"Hey, Elsa." he said after they finished laughing.

"Mm?"

"Will you continue being my friend?"

They both beamed. "Of course."

The next day the two said goodbye to each other and Hans had to be left alone again, with his brothers. As soon as Elsa left, he was smothered with today's torture. The good thing was at least Elsa's family's visits didn't stop. Even though they would only visit when it was the king or queen's birthday, he was still happy that she would still be there. The boy always looked forward to her twice-a-year vacations to the Southern Isles. He even met Anna quite a few times, but she would always just shy away and hide behind her sister. Apparently she didn't enjoy being there despite her jolly personality, and the little girl eventually stopped visiting. Though Hans was a bit saddened, he was also glad he could spend more time with Elsa. However, because of these visits, his brothers bothered him more so than before.

The two of them would always hang out at the lake near the balcony/ballroom doing random activities, playing on rowboats and fooling around in the balcony during the summer, and skating, making snowmen and other winter fun when it got cold and snowy. Elsa didn't use her magic around him as much anymore because they both knew his brothers would watch them, a little too close for comfort sometimes. And it wasn't just the twins, but also a few other brothers who didn't have anything better to do and just wanted to make their days. Always would they try to find a way to ruin their childhood fun. Luckily they were able to also hang out in his secret hideout whenever his brothers became a bit much. Even on the days when they didn't see each other, they always made sure to send each other mail daily. It would always come late, but what mattered was that they kept in touch.

Then one day, after four years of friendship, she stopped visiting and writing altogether.

He became saddened again. His brothers taunted him with possible reasons why she never communicated back, despite his efforts through mail. One time Hans even tried taking a week long cruise to Arendalle; not that his family cared, but was immediately rejected by the closed gates and guards and forced to go back home. All that sailing only to be sent back.

During one of the days Hans did nothing and sat on a bench in the courtyard, his twin brothers approached him. "Aww, baby brother is upset. What ever shall we do, Aghi?" Aghi put a finger to his lip, then lit up in an exaggerated way. "Oh I know, Kasper," Then to Hans. "How about we help you?" Hans scowled at them and turned away. "Go away."

Kasper leered. "Oh that's not nice, we were about to teach you-"

"-how to 'make your plans work'." Aghi finished off his sentence.

He looked back at them when they said this. They continued, "She was nice to you. But now she threw you away."

Kasper sneered, "Ohh why, brother, why?"

The other twin put his hands across the other's shoulders. "Do you want to know?"

"No." Hans stated sternly.

But his brother continued, "Well that's because you were too easy and pitiful. That girl grew bored of you. You're too easy to read. You were used. You were _never _liked."

Hans' eyes widened with shock._ That's not true. Or is it? No, they're just taunting me again. But what if..? What if... No.. No one was ever nice to him. __Why__ would they ever __**start now**__? _His eyes were cast downward, tears beginning to form, but Aghi lifted his chin so that he stared straight at their emerald-like eyes. They looked so much like him, except with their hair smoothed back. The only way to tell their difference was that one had more freckles than the other. Then they said it in unison, every so slowly, like poison dripping. "Oh _Hans, _if only there was someone out there who loved you."

He was frozen, his mouth hanging slightly open with shocked. Deep, deep inside, in the back of his heart, Hans knew that fact. But he didn't expect any of his family members to say it like that – so _straightforward. _Still, they didn't stop there. And every word they uttered afterwards felt like a stab to him. "Do you wish to grow stronger? To _'make your plans work'? _Freeze your heart, baby brother. Don't let it show, ever. Don't let them see, don't let them know. Let no one in. Only a frozen heart will help you now." They extended their hands. He accepted with a dark shadow cast upon his face.

* * *

><p>See how I made a few references to the movie? If you found them all, good job. Also, this was when Hans was a kid, so he was easily influenced by his many brothers, especially the twins who were masters of manipulation. I wanted to ease into how his personality began to develop. Anyway, sorry if the prologue was a little bit long, I got too into it. Nonetheless, please leave reviews, favourites, andor follows). Thank you all so so much for reading! Stay tuned for chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 1: Then and Now

There are a lot of references that relate back to the past and to the movie guys. I wanted this fanfic to refer closely to it so that you'd all understand the future in the story. So, so far this is a mix of past and the present. Please review this! Only your reviews help motivate me the most when I feel really down, so I'm really grateful to the few who really did make their opinions on this! They made me smile stupidly every time I went back to them. So... the more reviews, the faster the next chapter will be! Also, if you're confused on anything, don't hesitate to ask – it helps _a lot _when it comes to my writing style okay. It's a win-win; I improve on writing, and you guys get more chapters faster~

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><p>It's been about two years since that incident. Since the time she... Elsa couldn't even say it. She heard tapping on her door again. "Elsa?" came the little voice. Elsa didn't answer. The voice sung, "Do you want to build a snowma~an?"<p>

_Anna. _

The person outside the door then sung to Elsa about they things they could do and why she shut herself out. "I never see you anymore, come out the door, it's like you've gone awa~y. Anna's song carried on throughout the castle, and then she came to her door again, saying, "It doesn't have to be a snowma~an."

From the window Elsa lay curled up, looking out to the docks and fjord. She pursed her lips and squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out the lullaby. "Go away Anna."

"… Okay bye…." Though she didn't see it herself, Elsa could feel her sister's spirits fall as the footsteps faded.

Elsa gazed at the door. She then hurried over to it and peeked outside, only to see Anna disappear down the corner of the hall. Her heart felt heavy and she shut the door quietly and slowly. Leaning against it, the girl sunk to the ground and she used her magic to make it snow in her room. It eventually created a very happy-looking snowman. Elsa sighed and stroked the snowman's cheek. "Of course I want to build a snowman..." she sung back in an elegant voice. But the last part seemed to become faint and she hiccupped the few drops of tears away. "Olaf, what do I do? I'm tired of Anna being like that. She always goes away sad and I'm the reason why. I've been blocking her out so many times. No one even knows why I do it…" She hugged the snowman. "She's really suffering, I think..?"

But it was for everyone's own good.

Then it hit Elsa. Anna wasn't the only one hurting from Elsa's neglect. There were also her parents, the staff and guards of the house, and the people she had yet to know.

And him. At the mention of him, Elsa remembered. Remembered all her times spent with that slightly rude boy. But he was still her friend.

The girl closed her eyes and leaned back against the door again, reminiscing her last day spent with him.

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><p>The fourteen year old boy stared at his own reflection in the water. The sun was just about to set, creating a soothing orange summer atmosphere. Looking across the lake, he saw that the lamps were about to be lit up. Today was the king's birthday. And this was the same place his eyes sparked with life. But now they were unfeeling, devoid of life. <em>Just like before.<em> He slowly closed his eyes and reminisced his last day spent with her two years ago, remembering it as clear as day.

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><p>"Hans! Hans! Wait, you're hurting my arm. Slow down, slow down!" But Hans only gave a goofy smile and continued to pull her along. "If we don't hurry we'll get caught." In the background they could hear the annoying escort call their names, getting closer – then farther, getting lost in the halls. The two kids found their way into the cool greenhouse filled with exotic plants. They were leaning on their knees, huffing from the long run. "Shouldn't... huff – we be back at the ball? It's your mama's birthday today... right?"<p>

The boy shrugged and smirked. "But it's also almost yours."

"Well, not in months; you know that Hans."

He raised one eyebrow and they both sat down on a nearby stone bench. The atmosphere was cool but it was also filled with light. Every time Elsa was there Hans felt the mood change into a lighter tone. The two always enjoyed the other's company, and Hans could tell they were going to have a lot of days together in the future. But today was a little more special than the others.

Hans' hands were a little sweaty from nervousness. Today was the day. He was going to do it. Taking a side glance at her, he noticed Elsa wasn't paying attention and reached into his coat pocket. His hands closed in on an item and he turned to Elsa taking it out but keeping his fingers closed around it. She was gazing intently at the plants that surrounded them. Before he could say anything, she asked, "How can these plants stay so... alive in this time of the year?" Hans also gazed at them and wondered as well. It was just past the winter solstice, yet they remained healthy in this greenhouse. But that wasn't the most important thing right now.

"Elsa."

She turned to face him with a small smile. His face turned slightly red. Geez, why did he do that every time? "U-um... I know your birthday is still a long time but-" He kept the item in his hand, and now opened them to reveal a light blue clip.

At first glance it was nothing special, only a simple snowflake. But Elsa took it with stars in her eyes. It had complex designs etched into it, and held perfect symmetry, with flowery ornamentation on the inner part, and then extending outward into six spaded points. It displayed different hues of ice blue and a hint of lilac purple towards the edges. The girl looked from the clip to Hans' eyes. "Hans... it's – it's beautiful! Where'd you get this?" He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I – uh, had the smithy make it for me. But I stayed with him the whole time, you know, making sure the design was exactly how I imagined your magic to be like."

Hans turned away, his face giving off a slight tint of blush across his freckles. Elsa smiled and clipped the snowflake to her hair. She then came closer to Hans and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you, Hans! I'll wear it for tonight's party." His lip twisted with sheepishness and his face went from a slight blush to a mask of scarlet hues. "N-no problem... Elsa." His heart felt like it was going to burst. Sure he was only an eleven-year old boy. But even though he was still a kid, what he felt was probably more real than what love his brothers had for their lady friends.

"Hey, Elsa?"

"Mm?" Hans looked at her again.

"Don't forget your promise: that you'll always be my friend, and not leave me with the big meanie heads."

She stared earnestly back at him, with her eyebrows knit together. "Hans, how could you even bring that up?"

The boy's eyes widened. "Wha-"

"Of course I'll always be there for you, I promised that a while ago. You don't even have to mention it." They both smiled and laughed. His shock was then gone and he decided to not think about it and just be happy in his new, yet fragile feelings. Perhaps one day she would be the one he would marry. But of course, that was only a thought he would keep to himself, and to himself only. They walked back, hand in hand to the party that awaited them.

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><p>The boy opened his eyes again. But they weren't staring into her's – only the reflection of the water; only to his own dead gaze.<p>

Hans grimaced and growled in realization that she did not keep her promise. He pulled the grass beneath him, his nostrils flaring. Still in silent rage, the boy got up and found a nearby rock that occupied both his arms. With a pained holler, Hans flung it as hard as he could into the lake. From the force he fell forward on his front and some of the backwater showered unto him. But it wasn't only the lake's water that streamed down his face. His lip wobbled, from both the cold and the pain. "Elsa... you didn't keep your promise."

He heard rustling behind him and Hans scrambled into a relaxed position, as if the barrage of backwater never occurred. Any signs of being angry disappeared and it simply looked like the boy was laying down looking at the stars. Into his view came his brother Edvard, the one who apparently thought every woman was his lover.

Edvard kicked him in the side, to get his attention. Hans flinched and recoiled back. But his brother kept on kicking. "Hey, quit it, will you?" Hans gasped and Edvard stopped. "Sorry, just wanted to check if you were alive." Hans scowled at him. "What do you want?" But Edvard only sighed and pulled him up. "It's father's birthday. So I suggest you get up and attend as well." Hans twisted out of his grasp and landed on the floor again. "I don't want to go." Edvard sighed loudly, and then sat himself down beside Hans. "Look, I can't go back if you don't come with me."

The younger boy simply smiled at the older brother, only making him even angrier. He was a charming man, but only when a lady was nearby or watching. "You little – watch me knock that smile out of your face." The two scrambled for a good few minutes until Hans gave way. "Okay, okay! Let go of my shirt already." They were both dirty enough and released their hold on each other, staring silent to the dancing people across the lake.

But Edvard continued to look somewhat pitifully at him at the same time irritated and said, "If the reason why you don't want to live life anymore is that pasty princess from Arendalle, then I suggest you forget about her. She has not visited for how long? She most likely won't visit again nor made any attempt to contact you. You wasted a week's time literally going there for her. If she was really your friend, the princess would've called for her prince by now. Do you _believe_ it's actually _love_ you feel for her? _She's_ the reason why you're suffering. You're suffering because of _her. _Don't turn away from me, foolish brother. _Look at me._" Edvard forcefully grabbed Hans' chin and made him return the look. Hans expected him to make more poisonous remarks, but the man only stared, as if his eyes could pierce two holes into his head just by looking.

"What is there to look at?" Hans replied sourly. He still had yet to control his emotions. Edvard just threw down his hand and sighed, combing his slightly long brunette hair back. "You're a real pain, you know," There was no sarcastic comeback, so he continued, "That girl – treat her only as an insignificant person; only one of the many women you will continue to meet. Forget. Because if you don't you will only irritate the family more."

Hans huffed. "What do you know?" His brother smirked a little darkly. "Dimwitted brother, don't you know that I'm an expert in this field? Stop crying. What's wrong with you?"

Hans didn't fight them anymore. He dropped his mask. That man's words hit him, and hit him hard. He in truth began to slowly take in those spiteful observations. "I guess I should... Forget... that is." _Why do so many people do this to me? _And in the back of his heart, a part of him relayed, "Why do you even believe in them?" But the words had already taken effect on the boy, and he ignored that small remark.

Edvard didn't say anymore. Instead, he decided to not care anymore and left Hans dirty in the same spot of the lake.

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><p>9 years later...<p>

"So you're really leaving to go there? Not that I care though." he said.

Hans laughed lovingly to his brother Thomas who stood at the docks. Thomas had his arms crossed and stared up at Hans, who just began to walk up the steps leading to the ship. "You originally wanted to go, correct?" Hans inquired in a friendly tone. Thomas shook his head. "Of course not. I don't care about such trivial matters." Hans reached the top of the ship and turned to the other dark-haired man. "That's why I volunteered in your place. I longed to see Arendalle's open gates anyway for a long time."

His brother looked behind himself, to the town with the bustling people, and then to the grand palace that stood atop it all, magnificently standing on the highest hill. Hans was always wary whenever he was around Thomas. The man who stood staring at the town was one of the people he trusted the most

– and the least.

Thomas was the silent type who would rather listen to others while he blended in with the background, unlike certain other people. And for some reason, because of this, he seemed to be the only person who could read through Hans' facade. Hans' knew that he denied the invitation on purpose – even coming to the docks with Hans to see him off when he could care less. Again, Thomas saw through him, whispering, "You're not going to go there to see Elsa, are you?" Despite all the noise happening around them, Hans could hear exactly what he said.

He smiled, showing off his bright, straight teeth. "Who's Elsa?"

Thomas stared straight into his brother's eyes, saying nothing. Jade and chocolate gazes held their own, none showing signs of backing off. Hans continued, "I am only going there to find my place." And with that, the thirteenth prince turned his back and commanded the troops to set sail for his voyage.

Thomas carried on observing the ship until it became a dot in the distance. He turned back and walked gracefully away from the docks.

"That fool's words mean more than what it sounds. If only someone really loved him... Not that I care."

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><p>1 week later...<p>

The to-be queen glanced at the portrait of her father and picked up the traditional globus cruciger and sceptre, her hands shaking. They immediately froze over and she put them down in frustration and slight fear. "It's only for today," she calmed herself. Exiting the room she commanded to her servants, "Tell the guards to open up the.." _You can do this, Elsa. _"The gates."

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><p><em>Arendalle, <em>The place he could feel is within his grasp after a week of sailing. His ship finally docked into the harbour and he felt the cool summer breeze against his face. _Elsa, _the small and even subdued voice whispered in the back of his mind. He gritted his teeth. "Shut up. This is for the throne." he reminded himself. Gripping the railing of the ship, he called to his servants, "Men! My horse!"

"Yes, Prince Hans."

_You're here for one reason, and one reason only, Hans. Hide it. What happened to all those years? Getting chicken feet now? _The prince walked down to the wooden docks, his hands behind his back, giving charming smiles to those who looked his way. _This place will soon be mine anyway. _Little did the people know that some of his dashing grins were of evil intent. His horse was handed to him a while later and he nodded to his servants. "Thank you. Prepare for our arrival." They saluted and went their way. Tutting his noble steed, he rode ahead to meet this 'queen' he had yet to meet. _Let's see who's insignificant now, brothers. _In the back of his heart, though he didn't know it yet, he felt that he also came for another reason, but just what?

Elsa strode quietly in the halls, making her way to the church for her coronation, alongside two escorts. It seemed all a little new to her. She rarely went outside of her room, and it was only for her most dire needs. Furthermore, she did not enjoy the new scenery, only imagining it turning to ice. The silent shadows of her escorts that trailed her steps made her feel uneasy. Instead of sweat, she felt ice forming on her palms, threatening to be unleashed. _Get away from me._

Yet she had to tolerate it. "Because it's only for today." And with that, she and her escorts strode and made their way into the confined carriage, which took them to the church. But to Elsa, it seemed like it was taking her to court, to be judged by the greater people.

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><p>He was almost there; just a little past that corner to the cathedral and – "Ooof!" A rather jumpy lady bumped right into his horse and was sent crashing into a boat which almost splashed into the water. Luckily his horse stopped it before that happened.<p>

Little did Hans know that he would bump into Princess Anna of Arendalle. "I'm so sorry! Are – are you hurt?" He immediately got off his horse and went to help her up. Though his outside posture was absolutely calm, subconscious memories played short clips in his mind against his will, reminding him of how Elsa described her sister and the times he actually met her. But all those years of training made him see them as only memories of another, like as if simply remembering parts of a story from a book. Inside he thought cooly, "So this is 'Anna'. It seems like she doesn't remember. They have the same eyes. No, the queen's were bluer. Wait – what? Ah – anyways, let's analyze my options." Despite knowing her already, he pretended not to. Introducing himself, he stated, "Oh, ah, Prince Hans, of the Southern Isles."

After their introductions, Hans did admit that it was an uncomfortable scenario in the moments afterwards.

"No – n-no, it's fine. I'm not _that _princess," she prattled on. "I mean, if you'd hit my sister Elsa, it'd be – yeeeshh.. ehhe.. cause – you know.." _Yes, I know. _Hans thought. He shook his head inwardly and his calculating side slowly began to take over.

Once the bells rang in the distance, Anna snapped out of her stupor and headed back to the castle in a rush. _She is so predictable, _he thought, before he accidentally got dumped into the water by his horse.

During the coronation, the still wet Hans couldn't help himself but observe Elsa – and Anna sometimes – as the choir sung with voices of angels. She was so... _stiff. _What happened to the cheerful girl twelve years ago who shared her magic with him and laughed alongside him? What caused her to be like this? "Then again, what happened to me?"He thought darkly. "What caused _me_ to be like this?" For a few seconds he tried to figure this out, but at the moment – he really didn't care. So long as the throne was his, he could prove to his many ignorant brothers of his capability. Nothing else mattered. _Nothing._

He saw Anna wave to him when she should be paying attention. "Oh this is just too easy."

He waved back. And it was then when Elsa picked up the traditional sceptre and globus cruciger, her hands shaking, and her face paler than it already was. Hans' eyebrows knit together slightly. He didn't care about her anymore and forgot about her years ago. But there was something about her inner struggle that caught him. Though no one noticed, he observed the tiny icicles forming upon the two objects. And they weren't pretty in design nor desired to be there. Recalling his now neutral memories, Hans remembered that she loved using her magic. Why resist it so much? The priest was almost done the chant but she was sparring with her own powers greatly. "...Queen Elsa." Immediately did she put down the sceptre and globus cruciger and slipped on her turquoise gloves back on, giving a small and somewhat relieved smile to everyone as they stood up and applauded. But the prince was troubled.

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><p>It was finally over. Elsa sighed inwardly as Kai called her up to stand at the front to present herself to the crowd. She allowed herself to relax a little – the ceremony was completed and the hard part overcome. Now all she had to do was simply greet the guests and it would be back to the safe closed doors. When Anna came to her side awkwardly, Elsa couldn't help but feel a little bit more complete. Anna had really grown, and Elsa felt like she missed out on a lot about Anna, not knowing her likes, or dislikes, or favourite colour, or what her pet peeves are. Still, Anna had really grown.<p>

"Hi." Elsa started. The other girl looked surprised "Hi – hi me? Oh, um.. hi!" They shared an awkward moment, so Elsa continued calmly. "You look beautiful." Anna seemed fidgety but at the same time.. happy. "Thank you. You look beautifuller – I mean not fuller – you don't look fuller but m-more beautiful." Elsa laughed a little and said her thanks. The two of them looked upon the crowd and to the dancing people. The queen felt that she wanted to be a part of them; to dance, to have fun, and to laugh. "So this is what a party is like."

Anna replied with a smile, "It's warmer than I thought."

Then the smell hit her, that sweet smell, and Elsa mentioned, "What is that amazing smell?" They both took a long whiff of it and said it in unison with a laugh. "Chocolate." But before they could say anymore, the duke of Wessleton presented himself and Elsa deviously had Anna take her place to dance. "Sorry," she mumbled with a grin. They exchanged witty looks and Elsa continued to gaze at the strange dance the duke performed. Then at the people all around.

Then at a certain man that stood at the side of the ballroom. "Hmm, a wallflower.." And to Elsa, he really was a wall_flower, _having handsome, chiselled features, with perfectly combed back auburn hair and beautiful jade green eyes. But she didn't focus on that, but more on where he was looking. It was at Anna. His fixed look didn't shift away from her sister, and she cocked her eyebrow at this. A small smirk lifted her face up. "So, that's how it is." But then again, he looked a little familiar. Continuing to study the man, his gaze suddenly shifted to her. For a good second they made eye contact and she made a surprised blush, but that was only then when Elsa realized that he was only looking at Anna wobble back to her.

Not thinking much about it, Elsa and Anna continued to have friendly exchanges. Until Anna almost stepped over the line. "I wish it can be like this all the time." Elsa wished it too. Then she remembered the reason why she shut herself out. Her smile melted and Elsa looked away. "But it can't."

"Why not? I mean we-"

_Anna, don't push it. _Elsa recoiled. "It just can't."

Her sister deflated, and Elsa watched her walk away, dejected. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.

But that was then when she noticed the wallflower man mingle with the crowd.

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><p>Hans saw Anna walk sadly away from her sister and saw that this was his time to move. Straightaway he caught her before she could fall and gave her a charming smile, putting his champagne on a passing-by platter. Pulling her close, he guided the two of them gracefully into the dance floor, performing the waltz perfectly. Of course, he was an expert dancer after all. Watching his playboy brother was enough for him to understand the places where he <em>shouldn't <em>place his hands. Once that was over, he played along with Anna's love daze, agreeing to the things that she liked and simply being charismatic. _This was just too easy. _

"Wa-wa-wa-wait, you have _how many _brothers?" Hans laughed at this and replied, "Twelve, older brothers. Three of them pretended I didn't exist, literally – for two years." Anna gasped. A predictable reaction. "That's horrible." It was, and still is. But Hans wanted to play the nice guy for this little princess. "That's what brothers do," He made a small smile her way.

"And sisters. Elsa and I were really close when we were little, but then, one day... she just shut me out and... I never knew why." Hans' eyes widened slightly. So he wasn't the only one Elsa stopped seeing. Regardless of his own emotions, his calculative side took over. Her neglect from love would make it easy to manipulate. _Like what happened to you. _"Shut up," he whispered ever so softly. Anna lifted an eyebrow in confusion. Hans realized what he said and took her hands. "Oh, no – no I don't mean you. I mean – I would never shut you out."

Anna smiled, completely enamoured. "Can I just say something crazy?" she spouted out. Hans smirked lovingly. "I love crazy." The girl got up and slammed the door. "All my life has been a series of doors – in my face. And suddenly, I bump into you."

Hans went along with it. It wasn't hard either, because he can relate to what this princess said. "I was thinking the same thing! 'cause like, I've been searching my whole life, to find my own place," He gestured to the town behind him. _And soon this will be my place. _The two continued their duet, exploring the palace and just having fun in general. But this was all a part of his plans. And seriously? Mental synchronization? Thinking so much like her? As if! Finish each other's sandwiches? That was just ridiculous. Hans liked sandwiches, but he would never let someone like her finish them for him. She seemed like the type that would end up eating all of them for all he knew. _Anyway, that's not the point._ The throne was closer to him than he thought.

By the end of it the night was getting late and Hans wanted to advance faster to his goal. "Can I say something crazy?" Hans got to his knees and took her hand. "Will you marry me?" It was a long shot that a princess would accept, even if they were as love desperate as this one. So Hans was surprised when she actually said, "Can I say something even crazier? Yes!" At the back of his mind, he then devised a plan to bring himself to the throne. It was a win win basically. She would get the love she wanted, and he would get the throne of Arendalle. Till up to the part where he recalled sixteen years ago. Looking into Anna's eyes, for a second, he imagined someone else there.

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><p>Who is this person he imagined?! I wonder! Aw geez Hans why you gotta be like that? Well, the next chapter may be really exciting because I have so many "dramatic" and "juicy" parts I want to post! Also, if you're wondering what exactly the "birthday snowflake clip" looks like, it's the snowflake shown within the movie's logo in the beginning of it (or you can check Elsa's signature snowflake in Disney Wiki lol.) Reviewfollow/favourite so that I feel that this fanfic has a chance of being loved. It wants to be loved! But thank you all so much!


	3. Chapter 2: How Could You Forget?

Hmm, I should actually consider putting up appealing cover photos... meh, next time. Also, just saying that before you read this chapter, keep the movie, and their childhood in mind because there are quite a few moments that refer back to it - okay a lot - and it makes the moment even better in my opinion when you realize the two comparisons ;). This is actually one of the longest chapters I've ever written. Anyway, other than that, enjoy.

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><p>Once Anna left sadly, the queen felt a small punch in the gut called guilt. She was about to walk after her when she saw the wallflower take Anna's hand and waltz the night away. Elsa was relieved at the same time a little offended at this. Relieved because she didn't have to spend any more energy worrying much about her sister, and from seeing her happy. Offended because she saw her <em>happy. <em>How could Anna's mood change so easily; and this – this _wallflower _was the one to make her so? "Who _is _this 'charmer'?" she said under her breath. The dance floor seemed to open up to the two and it was as if the spotlight was on them. _They should just get married if Anna's going to be like that to mr. Wallflower. _

Then Elsa furrowed her eyebrows. This wasn't like her. Why was she getting angry so easily? The queen held back a sigh and stood with her head up. "Must be because I'm upset at Anna... Well, I shouldn't be."

She encouraged herself to let go of her bad thoughts and let her sister socialize for the first time in forever. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't had a decent conversation with anyone either – besides Anna that night – but that didn't count. And so, trusting Anna, Elsa spent the night gathering her courage and using it to suppress her magic and keep a friendly face while communicating with the other lords and ladies of other faraway places.

By the time it was past midnight Elsa just finished talking to a few dignitaries and she heard her sister call for her. Turning around she came face to face with Anna. And the wallflower who reminded her of someone in her past.

_Seems like she made a friend at least, _the queen thought. But she also had the notion that they were standing just a little too close for people who just met.

Anna then proudly said, "May I present Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

Elsa froze over, but she kept her cool. _Ah, so it is him. _Memories of her childhood seemed to rush back at her at lightning speed. The queen was so focused on hiding and concealing her powers that she completely forgot about the one person alive who knew everything about her. How could she forget? All impressions of the wallflower the previous hours disappeared.

She gazed right at Hans and through her eyes she seemed to communicate: _It's been a long time. _

But he did not look at her back in the eye, and even if he did, it was not noticeable. Hans held no sign of recognizing Elsa and she was hurt inside by this. By the fact he acted like it was their first meeting, saying, "Your majesty," with a warm tone but no hint in his voice of their friendship in the past. Formally nodding her head his way, she gazed at the two cautiously, confused on how these two met. And how Hans could forget.

They stuttered and giggled in the most strange way, holding each other closer than Elsa liked. That was when they said it together. "…Our marriage."

Elsa was taken aback. _Who __**is**__ this man? Is this.. really __**Hans**__? And with my sister? He seems like the playboy brother he hated so much before! What's going on?!_ _  
><em>

"Marriage?!" Since when has this… this _boy - and girl - _been so naive?! _Were they both so desperate for love?!_ After that she didn't really pay much attention to what anna rattled on about, only focusing on getting one thing clear, "You can't marry a man you just met."

At this Anna became irked and held Hans closer. "You can if it's true love!" Elsa wanted to laugh at this. _True love? _That was ridiculous. Anna had never stepped outside the grounds of the castle, even if she had the choice to do so, unlike her. What did this girl know about something she never experienced in her life before? "Anna, what do you know of true love?" Elsa said bluntly. What irritated Elsa the most was that she fell in love with another person who had the same love problem as her. Or at least, that's what Elsa thought, last time she saw Hans.

Then Anna's next words felt like a slap to the face: "More than you. All you know is how to shut people out!" Elsa looked at Hans, but only saw a confused frown on his face. He only seemed just as naive as her sister. This would not be allowed. "You asked for my blessing, but my answer is no," She turned away from them, realizing that her biggest struggle in the coronation was not the coronation, but rather, Anna's foolishness – and Hans' ignorance. "Now if you'll excuse me."

His voice only made her angrier than she was. "Your Majesty, if I may ease your-"

"No you may not." _How can you possibly call me __**'your majesty'**__? How can you ease my concerns?! You're just as wide-eyed as Anna. _Elsa wanted to say more; to scold both of them. Her hands twitched at the thought of even freezing something.

After that, Elsa couldn't take any more of Anna's words of no's and why's. "Why" this and "Why" that? _Just leave me alone! I don't want to hurt you!_

"What are you so afraid of?!"

"I said _enough!_" An arc of pure solid ice was created, cold and deadly icicles tilted towards them.

Elsa cringed in fear, despite being the one to create the ice magic, and her eyes darted around the crowd, to stop at his face. She should be looking at Anna, but at the moment, she didn't have the right to face her directly. But staring at Hans didn't make her feel any better. He only looked at her with confusion. _This isn't the slightly rude boy I knew before. _

Horror spread across her face. At the mention of her name, the queen felt towards the door just behind her and fled with a heavy heart. Perhaps by holding her hand to her chest, her heart would slow its beating.

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><p>Hans' could only gape at the harsh icicles that was created by Elsa. They weren't beautiful nor gracefully created, their only intention to get people away. But he looked beyond the icy sorcery and to Elsa. Though they should be the ones who are afraid, the queen appeared to be the most petrified of them all. And she thoroughly expressed her fear when their eyes met. Hans was confused; why is she so afraid to show her magic?<p>

Anna went after her as soon as she overcame her shock a few moments later and Hans followed just behind her. But Elsa fled to the town and the two lost sight of her. But she did leave an impression on the people, especially the duke of Weselton. _What a fidgety man. _Hans thought as the two of them passed him and his thugs.

Going into the city, he and Anna checked every corner and street they could possibly find Elsa. But she was no where to be seen. Anna eventually broke down and started hyperventilating, rocking herself back and forth. Hans knelt beside her and rubbed her back. "Anna, it's alright, it's alright. Just take deep breaths – yes, yes. Now, are you okay?" Anna sniffed and held herself close. "Yes... I just, don't know why she kept it from me – not that it's a big thing. Only the power to freeze things over... and being a stinker. Just – yeah, I'm okay. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here." Hans gave her a reassuring smile and helped her up. Holding her arms, he then suggested, "Let's keep looking. She could still be here. You look here and I'll check the docks, understand? If she's not in the area, just come to me." Anna nodded in comprehension and the two departed.

But inside Hans knew that Elsa would most likely be at that place, feeling the need to escape.

* * *

><p>Elsa stood upon the wooden docks and into the other side, the fear still fresh within her. She looked back into the city and walked backwards, thinking of only one thing: <em>They now know. <em>

Without realizing it, the area where her heel touched suddenly turned to ice. The queen looked to it and saw that she was now standing on water. Her eyes widened and a new but faint feeling of thrill bloomed within her despite the situation at the moment.

"Queen Elsa!" But it was that voice that brought her back to reality. She looked up and saw Hans advance towards her in a cautious position. "Queen Elsa." he repeated again. But the queen cringed back. He was the second last person she wanted to see – Anna being the first. Still that fact didn't make things any better. "No! Don't come any closer!" Elsa had her fists clutched tightly to her chest, opening and closing the nearer he got.

"Please, wait. We can work things out! Everyone was just shocked. Queen Elsa!" The queen was more than an arm's length away and even when he reached out to her from the edge of the docks, she was simply too far. She couldn't stand the sight of such an ignorant person, let alone her sister. Elsa wanted to get her thoughts heard at least once before she turned her back to this place.

"How can someone, who I thought knew of my magic before, and remembered me, end up forgetting? How can someone, whom I told my secret to, fail to recall; fail to remember, and _pretend _it's our first time meeting?! Not only that! You got _engaged _to someone you _just met that day!_ I can't work things out! I won't!" At her words, the man in front of her froze, his face twisted into a grimace and frown.

Anna then came into her view when she gazed over Hans. "Hans, she's not in the area!" She then noticed Elsa and held a look of great worry as she hurried as fast as she could to the two of them. "Elsa! Wait, please!"

Elsa did not. She turned and ran. Where her foot touched, water turned to ice – but Elsa had no time to stop and wonder at its grandeur. From the background Elsa could hear Anna. "Elsa, stop!" cried her sister. The queen pressed her lips together, her eyes unwavering. If they did, so would her willpower.

* * *

><p>The fjord froze up, beginning from where Elsa stepped, and spread out towards the rest of the land. As Hans and Anna made their way back to the castle, snow began to fall. And it was still summer. The man studied her back, pulling up his collar at the sudden drop in temperature. She seemed terribly upset. So he would be terribly concerned. "Are you alright?"<p>

"No."

He went to walk by her side. "Did you know?"

"No..."

Hans was slightly confused. He knew that Elsa neglected her and everyone else, but Anna should've known as a child, back when Elsa was still... not stiff. And reserved.

The two met up with the duke of Weselton and his thugs. He was, like before, panicking and moving restlessly. "So jumpy," Hans thought in disapproval. At the sight of the both of them, the duke immediately cowered behind his guards, looking with disfavour at Anna especially. "You! Do you know sorcery too? Are you a monster too?"

"No. I'm completely ordinary." she protested. Hans nodded his head at them and put his hand on her shoulder. "That's right, she is." Anna looked to him and he corrected himself with an awkward smile. "I-in the best way." The girl smiled and continued, "M-my sister's not a monster." But the duke of Weselton was the type to jump to conclusions all too easily. "She nearly killed me!" Hans spoke up at this. "You slipped on ice."

"Her ice!" the duke pointed out. Hans wanted to say more. This old man just complained too much. But he kept his calm and was a patient person. Anna budged in and resolved the matter. Hopefully she'd let the topic go and forget about her sister. Unfortunately for Hans, she decided to go after her, commanding Kai to bring her her horse.

Hans wanted to go with her. Not for comfort of course – no, so that he could end them both and become king. But would he go through such measures? It seemed such a heartless deed, pretending to care, killing them, and then going back with a lie? When Anna refused his offer, Hans' calculative side was upset; but at the same time, through the depths of his conscience, he felt a bit relieved.

Luckily, he was offered an even better job, and that was to take care of Arendalle while she was gone. This was a great way to get close to the people and gain their trust.

Before she left, he asked, "Are you sure you can trust her? I don't want you getting hurt." Of course this girl believed that Elsa would never hurt her just because they were 'sisters'. If only that applied to his life and his family.

* * *

><p>The snow glowed white that night, not a footprint to be seen. Elsa continued to walk up the mountain, regret, sadness and fear nipping at her back. She looked around and saw that she truly was... alone. "A kingdom of isolation," Elsa chuckled to herself, "And it looks like, I'm the queen." Her head was held to the sky, letting the wind howl around and through her. <em>Like the swirling storm inside.<em> The storm she couldn't help but unleash to the people. "Couldn't keep it in, heavens know I've tried.." she whispered. A little flustered, Elsa moved forward, pointing out all of her reminders. "Don't let them in, don't let them see. Be the good girl, you always have to be. Conceal, don't feel. Don't let them know."

She looked to her one gloved hand and a new feeling arose within her when she realized this. Yanking off her turquoise glove, she let it fly into the night sky. "Well now they know!"

"Let it go, let it go." She hadn't felt like this since... since she was still a kid. For a long time her magic didn't seem like a curse anymore. Elsa felt so free, away from it all. She even created the snowman that Anna so loved from her memories, and elation filled her entire being. Turning away; slamming the door, had never felt so _great_! She didn't care what they were going to say, so long as she was rid of her confinement of a home. Elsa laughed out loud and her hands stretched way above her head. It was freezing and any normal person would've iced over by now. Elsa continued to holler at the sky, grinning with joy; the cold never bothered her anyway.

While she glorified in her new freedom, a small, and fragile clip fell from the small pocket of her coronation dress. Her song faded off and she stared at the item. Slowly picking it up, Elsa realized what it was and her eyes widened. It was the snowflake clip Hans gave her for her seventh birthday. She didn't even know how it got there in the first place; truly a mystery that fate played upon her. It was slightly dulled – but only slightly. She smiled at the once long omitted memory and held it close to her chest. Her eyes sparkled anew with a glowing determination to make something... spectacular out of life. And freedom made it possible to test her limits. Elsa tucked the clip back into her dress. Stomping her foot to the ground, the same snowflake pattern as her hair clip was created in a bigger version, and she grinned with elation. Biting her lower lip, elsa forced her hands upwards, as if pushing a large weight sky-high.

Giving life to her surroundings, she flicked her hands gracefully and glass ice walls extended into one point on the roof. From that point a magnificent chandelier was created and it magically illuminated the room. To top it all off, she tugged the crown away from her head and stared at it for a few seconds. Then, as if yelling at it, she exclaimed, "I'm never going back! The past is in the past!" Throwing the crown out the window, it fell into the depths below, and along with it 'Queen Elsa'. She was no longer 'the Queen of Arendalle' but rather, the Snow Queen of Isolation – or just Elsa – that worked too.

All she wanted was to, "Let it go! Let it go, and I'll rise like the break of dawn!" The Snow Queen pulled out her organized bun and gathered her braid over one shoulder, combing her bangs out to give a 'free and wild' style. Her coronation dress was transformed into a foxy crystal blue gown with a transparent cape of sheer ice that draped down from her sleeves. She always wanted to wear this type of clothing anyway, not caring what others thought of her – she was pretty sassy either way. Walking towards the balcony, to the sunrise, she felt as if this was the start of a new future. "That perfect girl is gone," she said aloud. The view was absolutely sensational, especially from where she stood, making everything else in the world look small, save for the sunrise that peeked over the mountains in the other side. She didn't realize she was now holding the snowflake clip in her hands until she opened them. Looking down, the Snow Queen gave a small glimmer. Without a second thought, Elsa clipped the little snowflake into the end of her braid, completing her new attire. She felt a little more at peace – this little relic that somehow expressed the beauty for her magic.

The rest of the morning Elsa spent gazing at the the scenery from her balcony.

* * *

><p>It's been hours since Anna left, and things have only gotten worse. Houses were now lined with fresh powdered snow and it looked like as if a blizzard had just passed by. Hans devised a plan to hand out Arendalle's supplies to its people, offering cloaks to those who didn't have any available, and talking with the townsfolk. Oh this was not an opportunity to be missed, and from the looks of it, their hearts were already being won. Hans like it – being a worthy ruler that is. He bet he'd be a way better ruler than his foolish brothers who always treated him like the spare. They'd be so speechless if they ever saw the way he handled the mild chaos in the winter storm. Then again, they'd soon get the chance to in the near future.<p>

Just at that moment, the duke of Weselton paraded in, clearly upset with Hans. _This guy is just too... jumpy. _In Hans' eyes, all the duke ever did was complain to no end, and about the most absurd reasons too. Hans was doing a good thing for the people and there he was, prattling on about freezing and tradable goods. He didn't really pay much attention; the duke was too much of a pain to listen to. He wanted this old goof to go away. "Princess Anna has given her orders."

"And that's another thing!" Hans sighed on inwardly. _Here he goes again. _The duke was supposedly bad at reading people, because even though Hans' purposely displayed apathy, the duke took no notice at all and instead continued, "Has it dawned on you that your princess may be conspiring with the wicked sorceress to destroy us all?!"

"Do not question the princess." Goodness, this pompous man could be terribly annoying at times. "She left me in charge, and I will not hesitate to protect Arendalle from treason."

"T-t-treason?!"

Before the slightly crossed Hans could say any more, neighing echoed in the background. Hans turned around and saw that it was Anna's horse galloping wildly into the courtyard – without Anna on it. Wasting no time, Hans went to tame the horse. "Whoa, whoa, boy! Easy, easy." He grabbed the reigns and gently pulled the horse down, patting his muzzle. Looking into the horse's eyes, they seemed to tell Hans exactly what happened. Of course he didn't speak horse; the man just predicted from the worried look of the steed. He looked to the mountains high above Arendalle to the people.

"Princess Anna is in trouble. I need volunteers to go with me to find her." At this the duke volunteered his two thugs to go with him and Hans smirked on the inside. Those two would act as the clear villains of the story and finish the job for him, while Hans hung back and waited for the throne to come to him.

* * *

><p>The Snow Queen contemplated her surroundings in utter peace, the north wind blowing over her relaxed face. Then a voice called her. She did not expect to hear another's voice in her castle, let alone <em>hers. <em>"Elsa? It's me, Anna."

Elsa departed from the window and strode towards the call. "Anna." She peeked from the arch leading to the second floor stairs and gave a smile her way. This woman was not ashamed to show herself to her sister anymore. And it was clear that Anna was awed to Elsa delight.

"Whoa, Elsa. You look... different – it's a good different! And this place – it's amazing!" The Snow Queen was grateful for Anna's compliments, but she made her feel uneasy when she started coming up the stairs. "You should probably go, please."

"But I just got here." Anna protested. Elsa backed away from her just a bit and fiddled with her fingers.

"You belong down in Arendalle."

"So do you."

_Not after what happened. _"No, Anna, I belong here. Alone. Where I can be who I am, without hurting anybody."

"And sixty!" It was then when... a snowman? Pranced into the room. "Olaf?" Elsa only built him out of feeling freedom, but she never thought that he would be _alive. _Elsa gazed at her hands. Was she capable of creating life out of her magic too? Anna then spoke up. "He's just like the one we built as kids. Elsa, we were so close. We can be like that again."

Suddenly the memory of almost killing Anna that haunted her popped up once again. "No, we can't. Goodbye Anna." Elsa couldn't take hurting Anna anymore. Why didn't she just leave? Didn't this girl understand that she was just trying to protect her? _Of course not,_ Elsa thought. _Her memories of her magic before were wiped out. _Still, Anna followed Elsa to the second floor.

"Anna, please go back home. Your life awaits. Go enjoy the sun, and open up the gates. I know, you mean well. But leave me be. Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and _free. _Just stay away, and you'll be safe from me." Elsa showed Anna the balcony's view and her sister gasped in awe. The Snow Queen walked back to show Anna where the exit was.

"Actually we're not." her sister then piped up. Elsa was confused. "What do you mean you're not?" Anna smiled sheepishly. "I get the feeling you don't know."

"What do I not know?" She was making her feel nervous. _What do I not know?_ The other girl clasped her mittened hands together in an awkward poise. "Arendalle's in deep, deep-" _Get on with it._ "Deep, deep... snow." Elsa's eyes widened, she couldn't believe it. Finally being free and her curse nips at her again. "What?" And not only Arendalle – apparently everywhere else too. When Anna said she can thaw it, Elsa couldn't help but laugh a little hysterically. "No I can't. I-I don't know how!" She didn't listen to Anna in the moments afterwards, too engrossed into her own storm of worries. And a small snow blizzard circled around her, reacting to her angst, becoming thicker and thicker the more she thought about what Anna told her. "I'm such a fool, I can't be free! No escape from the storm inside of me! I can't control the curse!" Anna tried to coax her but she was only making it worse. _There's so much fear. _"You're not safe here!" _Anna! Go away! I'll hurt you! Why are you saying, 'we can face this together'?! No – I – _

"I CAN'T!"

The snow flurry gathered all within Elsa and she unleashed all of it in one go. Turning around, she saw that Anna sunk slowly to the floor, clutching her chest. Elsa gasped in fear. _Oh no! Did I strike her? No – not again. _Before she could worry any more, another _man _entered the room and helped her up. "I'm okay. I'm fine."

The Snow Queen glanced between the two people and cringed back. "Who's this? W-wait, it doesn't matter. Just – you have to go."

"I'm not leaving without you." Ice began to crack around the walls. _Why is Anna so stubborn? _

"Yes, you are." Unleashing her powers, Elsa created another being. But this wasn't a happy one like Olaf, being created based on her desire to be alone. The guardian picked the trio up and walked out of the room. "Elsaaaa! Elsaaa, wait! We can fix this together!" Anna called from giant ice hands and tried to claw herself out. "Elsa!"

As soon as Anna left, Elsa paced around the palace anxiously. The room turned red and dark purple. Why did her magic have to react to her emotions? "Get it together," Her ice castle was losing its grace; she was losing control. "Control it." _Don't feel, don't feel. _"Don't feel!" Her head was in her hands, and when she looked up, the walls cracked even more, sending dangerous-looking shades of red. Ice shards pointed themselves towards her in a dark design. She looked around herself, then at the reflection of the floor. _I've become a monster. _

Elsa didn't bother to look at the snowflake pattern.

* * *

><p>Hans and his troops arrived at the ice palace before long and he gazed at its grand structure. <em>So this is <em>_Elsa's true magic. It's been a while. _The man had seen the good side of Elsa's magic, but nothing could be compared to what he witnessed right now. He turned to his men. "We are here to find princess Anna. Be on guard. But no harm is to come to the queen." Getting off his horse, he led them to the stairs. "Do you understand?"

"Yessir."

He slowly walked to the steps, but as soon as he came within a meter, a snow guardian came to life and growled at them. "What an odd looking Marshmallow," Hans murmured, deciding to give that name to the beast. He took out his sword and ducked when it swung its clawed arm towards him. The other soldiers threw spears and shot arrows, but it only seemed to make the hostile creature angrier. Shards of ice protruded, creating teeth and spiked spines. It was about to attack them when Hans suddenly jumped in front of the creature and nicked a part of its face off.

Enraged, Marshmallow again attempted a hit at Hans but the prince dodged the strike and rolled to his side, making the monster cuff the other guards. Looking back, Hans noticed everyone was occupied with attacking the snow beast. He then looked up to the ice castle to see Elsa shut the grand doors, retreating inside. Men! Keep the monster occupied! I'll go after the queen and find princess Anna!"

"Yessir!" they complied. However, somewhere within the group, two guards gave narrow looks his way before being once again engaged with the raging Marshmallow.

With that, Hans sprinted up the stairs, sword in hand and barraged the glaze doors open with a grunt of effort. But as he pushed them aside, a hazy suppressed memory flashed across his vision. Still, Hans shook his head and growled in aggravation at the terrible timing. Little did he know that the designs on the door were more familiar to him than he thought. Once inside he quickly scanned the room and glimpsed Elsa gasp from the stairs and run up the steps to the second floor. "Queen Elsa! Don't run away!" he yelled at her.

* * *

><p>The room illuminated a sickly gold. There was no where else she could run to. "Blast it," Elsa fumed under her breath. "Should've created more rooms in this ice castle." Turning to look behind her, she saw Hans attacking the doors open. "Queen Elsa!" he exclaimed. She started walking backwards. Anywhere but near him was better.<p>

It was back to the scene at the docks when she first ran off. And she would repeat that episode again if she had to. Yet this time it was different. The only exit was either behind Hans, or behind herself – into the teeth of the mountain grounds more than two hundred feet below.

"Get away from me, Prince Hans. Please! I don't want to hurt you!" She put her hands in front of herself in defence. "_Please._" But the man just wouldn't back off. Instead he said, "Queen Elsa, you won't."

"Yes I _will._" Still, Hans slowly but surely crept nearer to her. "Queen Elsa, I just want to help you." This angered Elsa. How?! _How_?! _**How**_?! _I'm not Queen anymore! Don't call me that! _

She shot her pointer finger towards him and a sharp spear of ice knocked the sword out of his hands, also gashing the side of his gloved hand. A second one was unleashed unconsciously, reacting to Elsa's rage, heading straight for his face. But he dodged at last second and it grated against his right cheek. He grimaced at the sudden action and paused for a few seconds, holding his bleeding hand close while wiping the blood off of his face. Elsa was close to tears even though she wasn't the one who got hurt.

"I told you! Go back and stay away!" Apparently those words didn't reach the man, for he simply squeezed his injured palm shut and step by step inched to the queen, his jade gaze never leaving hers.

Elsa couldn't breathe. "No. Don't come any closer!" Her heart raced and she felt as if it was going to explode. Both her hands were still in front of herself, ready to make the next attack.

But the blood... She didn't want to spill any more blood. _No more. No more. _"No more... no more..." The Snow Queen kept her gaze on the advancing prince. But her sight became blurry with tears. Elsa held them back. She would_ not _cry. But in her eyes, Hans appeared no more than a blur of auburn and dull grey-green, coming closer.

"How can you possibly help me? How can the one person alive who I thought knew me, forget? How can you help me... if you've forgotten?" Her voice cracked and the Snow Queen stuttered in the last few parts. She squeezed her eyes shut and put her hands to her ears. Perhaps by not seeing or hearing, the hurt would go away. All was silent.

Then, in the cold world she was in, warmth suddenly enveloped her. It was welcoming, and she shivered from the sudden change in temperature. "Elsa," She frowned. _No 'queen'? _Still, why was she allowing this? _No, stop. You'll get hurt. Your wounds-!_ Elsa struggled in his embrace, trying to push him away but he held her tight in place. The voice continued, "See? You didn't hurt me." That was when she stopped in place and looked up to meet Hans' eyes. The cut on the side of his face seemed like it was going to create a scar.

Her face buckled into a slow sob. "Don't... come...'ny...clos...er..." Yet despite this, the man gave a short and quiet hysterical chortle. "I don't think I can get any closer, Elsa." There it was again – her name. Without the 'queen'. _This isn't right! _An inner part of her screamed at him to stop, but another wanted to keep the warmth and hold it tight, too afraid that it might disappear. Again she feebly struggled in his embrace but he was just too strong. Hans looked straight at Elsa, and she was scared she'd melt. The Snow Queen clutched at the upper part of his coat, just below the collar, feeling too weak to stand alone and her face contorted into devastation. Yet Hans' next words melted her ice-cold heart, but only by a little.

"Elsa, You're wrong... I do remember." Elsa pursed her lips and knitted her eyebrows, looking behind herself, to the arms that held her – and to the bleeding hand. It was all too much, everything rushing at her all at once. She couldn't bear to look at this man anymore. "Liar."

"I'm not lying."

"Prove it."

Hans' uninjured hand stroked Elsa's hair and stopped at the very tip. Her eyes followed his fingers, which held her braid softly. "I see you've kept the clip I gave you on your seventh early birthday; even using its design on the floor." Elsa trembled. She was suppose to be happy. So why did she feel as if his words were like poison? The Snow Queen turned her head to face him again, in total shock. Hans brought his face nearer to hers. She could hear her heart beating so loud she was afraid he'd find out.

Then in the back of Elsa's mind, the scenario with her sister in the engagement incident rammed her back into reality.

"…Our marriage."

"Marriage?! You can't marry a man you just met."

"You can if it's true love!"

"Anna, what do you know of true love?"

"More than you. All you know is how to shut people out!"

It continuously replayed in her head making her feel dizzy and nauseous. This man was playing with her, trying to tame her inner storm. Elsa's heart froze into ice again. How dare an engaged man easily come this close to her? Whatever emotion she felt just a second ago dissipated.

* * *

><p>Hans didn't know why he acted the way he did to Elsa. He wanted to watch the little queen squirm in place as he got closer to her. Even though the cold ice nicked his face and cut his palm, it was quite amusing to see her be the one in pain. The prince only planned to toy with her until she gave in. None of his feelings were real. Even hugging her was a part of his plans. When she said that he forgot, he couldn't help but rage, yet snicker behind his concerned facade. <em>Me? Not remember? Look who's talking. <em>And the way she held on tight to his coat – it was like as if he were a lifeline! On the inside the man was sneering. This was how things should be – she should be apologizing to him for abandoning him when he needed her most. _She _should be regretting. All of these deceitful emotions swirled throughout Hans in that moment of silence.

But that was only until he noticed a small glimpse of something... familiar. As he embraced the shivering woman, it appeared in the corner of his devious eyes, on the end of her braid. _The snowflake clip... she kept it? _The recollection of their last day spent together flashed across his eyes. It was a memory he hadn't seen in a while.

A little bit of ice cracked in his frozen heart.

For the first time in a while, he spoke without thinking first. "Elsa, you're wrong... I do remember." It was in a quiet tone, but he could tell that Elsa heard it quite clearly. She thought he was lying, but because he remembered, he was able to prove himself.

But why was he saying this? Was this all a part of his plan? It was a smart move, but he didn't know if it was on purpose or not, and it held a huge risk for him. That risk would be that he himself would forget his original goal. But staring into her eyes – those eyes which were a few shades lighter than sapphire – did exactly what he feared; they made him forget about the thoughts of those around him. He wanted to drown in her gaze.

He couldn't help himself. The man slowly – ever so slowly, for fear she'd break – brought his face closer. His lips almost touched hers.

Then those tearful eyes turned into hard, furious daggers of a gaze. The man stopped dead in his tracks, shocked at the sudden change of mood.

After that Hans couldn't really recall what just happened next. Only that his body was jerked back suddenly by a force of cold wind. Next thing he knew he was dangling off the railings of the icy stairs, struggling to pull himself up. The injured palm didn't help him at all, making him practically suffer just hanging on one hand.

From the top of his vision, he then saw two guards rush past him without giving him a second glance. _Damned thugs. _

* * *

><p>As soon as Hans was blown out of the room, two other guards just had to come in. As if Hans wasn't enough. The woman didn't even have time to reflect on what just happened. "No, please." she pleaded. Elsa already had her share of the day's action. She wanted no more than to be left alone. Why didn't anyone understand that? Was running away to the highest peak and abandoning Arendalle and summoning the snow guardian not enough? What more did she have to do to get the message clear to them? Didn't they know that she can't thaw the snow?<p>

One of the thugs shot their arrow without hesitation and Elsa cringed back, closing her eyes and preparing for the pain. When she felt nothing, she opened her eyes and gasped in shock. A wall of ice instinctively protected her from the arrow. But it was a close call, seeing that it was just centimetres away from her face. She didn't have time to sigh in relief. The two guards were preparing for another shot. "Stay away!" Elsa thrusted her hands towards them and a series of sharp ice fragments headed their way. They dodged and she felt deep alarm at what would happen if she really did hurt them.

But enough was enough. Elsa was tired of playing nice.

Just as thug number one was about to aim his crossbow at her, she extended her arm towards him and a wave of ice lances stabbed at his clothes, pinning him to the left wall, one of them just inches away from his throat to keep him at bay. Elsa glanced to her right, wasting no time to deal with number two. His bow was professionally knocked out of his hands, unlike last time with Hans. The thug tried to run but fangs of ice were created to corner him. She formed a glace wall that pushed him back out the doors and into the balcony.

Suddenly several footsteps echoed behind her and she tilted her head to the side to see Hans again and the guards. However, Hans did not stay in place. He carefully circled to her right, taking attentive sidesteps. The other palace guards did the same, either going to the left, staying at the door, or following Hans to the right. "Queen Elsa!" So he was back to formalities, she noted. "Don't be the monster they fear you are!"

His words hit her. Right now, she wasn't being the Elsa that was free. She was being a _monster. _Elsa paused her magic just for a second. But it seemed that stopping her magic only opened up other possibilities.

* * *

><p>Hans saw that the Snow Queen was obviously enraged. His face began to sting and so did his right palm, but that only encouraged the man to stop her from causing any more harm. Trying to focus on Elsa, his gaze instead skipped to the thug just behind her, who was lifting his crossbow. Hans grimaced. He was on the other side of the room, unable to do anything himself. But that didn't mean he was out of options. "Men! The crossbow!"<p>

* * *

><p>The thug prepared to shoot his arrow at Elsa but at last second it was redirected upwards by one of the palace guards. "You dunce!" the palace guard exclaimed. But it was too late – the arrow was shot and pierced right through the chandelier that hung above Elsa. Yet she was frozen in place, unable to move from her spot, gaping at the sculpture. The magnificent ice chandelier now seemed like a death spear, to be the end of her and the pain she gave others. In a way, the woman seemed to welcome it.<p>

But then a large and strong force knocked her out of the way. She expected to meet the cold, hard, ice glazed ground, but her face was planted into a soft cushion, that would rise and fall every second and a half. For the few moments that she stayed conscious, she lifted her head forward with every strength she could muster. But the shock was too great and she caught only a blurry image of auburn... and jade green eyes that seemed...concerned? Before she could see any more her world turned black, against her will.

* * *

><p>I know I know most of the action is towards the end, but it did leave an anxious impression...? Also, Did you find all of the hidden references? Good job, yah? Please leave reviews. Thanks for reading and keeping up with my somewhat long chapters. Look forward to the next one, cause that one will have a lot of dramatic parts, I think. I'm so happy to write for everyone and I had so much fun writing this one. So much fun that I did my homework on Friday so that the whole weekend would be spent only writing. Aren't I a good person? This person deserves a bit of love I think, yah? And the characters too! Don't forget the characters! Because we all love Hans and Elsa, even though they're both major 'fixer-uppers'.<p> 


	4. Chapter 3: You Drive Me Crazy

Wow, it's getting really hard to get more readers, especially since the Frozen archive is getting busy. But no matter! Even though I haven't updated in a while I was really surprised to see recent follows and favs and was like, "Wow, you people really do love Frozen." cause this fanfic was probably in the like – oh I don't know – 94th page or something. That isn't a bad thing! If at all, it's a compliment cause you're all being extremely generous by reading multiple independent writer's fanfics. Yep. Anyway, keep calm and read on... no actually... don't keep calm – be excited!

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><p>She seemed so weak in his eyes, struggling so hard just to meet his gaze. Hans couldn't help be feel a little – okay – <em>extremely <em>worried. Though the woman didn't notice it, there was a small shard of the chandelier embedded into her shoulder. It wasn't big, only about the size of a table utensil, yet Hans could tell that it felt like one actually stabbed her.

He wasn't faring so well either, having acted on instinct and dove in to save her. His back ached and he could tell that several fragments created shallow cuts where he slid across the floor. The arm that protected Elsa thankfully didn't have as much chips, but regretfully had quite a few scratches here and there. Even though his arm took most of the damage, he couldn't help but feel guilty that Elsa still got hurt. Hans struggled to get up, only to fall back down painfully from the extra weight on top of him. "Ugh.." The ice stabbed even deeper into his back.

Thankfully his guards were able to gently lift Elsa up and set her aside. One of them called out, "We need first aid – now!" Hans couldn't really follow up what was going on, only that there were guards tending to the worst of his wounds, saving the rest of the healing for when they got back.

The man looked to Elsa, and saw that they weren't taking out the shard on her shoulder; she'd only bleed out before they would make it back to Arendalle. Also, they were afraid she'd wake up again. He slowly got up and limped to her side. They were about to lift her up but he held them back. "No, I'll carry her – focus more on getting those two buffoons safe." He jerked his thumb behind him to the duke of Weselton's thugs. A few of them protested. "But sir, your wounds! We can't let-"

"I'm fine – that is an order." They pressed their lips and eventually complied. Hans slowly and gently tucked his arms underneath her legs and shoulders, being careful about the shard of ice. He ignored the screaming pain of his own body and only concentrated at the task at hand. Steadily bringing her to his chest, he walked to the door at a slow pace.

So far he was managing well on the stairs outside her castle, but as soon as he reached the bottom, Hans slipped and fell right on his rear. A shot of pain went up his spine, but he held Elsa close, not wanting any more harm to come to her.

She seemed so fragile, limp in his arms. A cold wind passed by them, lightly tousling her pale hair. He shakily settled her on his lap and brushed away the locks from her face. His fingers came to a stop on her cheek. It was warm, ironically. The man's fingers continued to her lips. Just a moment before he was about to kiss... them; her. _Why? _He could do it now for all he cared, but for some reason, he didn't feel like it at the moment. "The mood just isn't right." he mused to himself. He settled for a light stroke with his fingers. Just touching her face was fine. Just smoothing back her hair made him feel...

Hans frowned. He bit the inside of his cheek and instead looked around himself, the cold snow nipping all over. But he didn't mind – the scenery was just too beautiful. It was able to distract him a bit. The man noticed that Marshmallow wasn't there anymore, and he looked back at the magnificent ice palace.

It seemed incomplete without its queen. But then again, so did Arendalle. _Without its king, _he thought darkly. He would get this sorceress to cease this winter, and the crown would be his. Hans failed to let the chandelier hit her for some reason. Why didn't he just let it hit her? The throne would undoubtedly be his. He sighed aggravatingly at his own subconscious decision and decided to just take it from there. The odds were still by his side – he just had to wait a little longer.

With this in mind, he slowly got up, ignoring the thoughts that cried out at the back of his mind about Elsa. His noble steed ambled towards him and he gracefully lifted both himself and the woman up, despite his grunts of labour. The rest of the soldiers exited the castle and were making their way down by the time he was ready to go.

Then Hans felt Elsa shiver. For a moment he was worried she'd awaken so early. But no – she was only cold. "How can an ice sorceress be freezing?" he said under his breath. She curled towards him and he scowled as she dug her pained face deeper into his coat. He couldn't tell why his nose was getting redder. _Perhaps just the cold. _One of his guards was already on his horse and Hans called out to him. "I need an extra coat."

The other man looked at him with question, but gave one to him anyways. "Sir, if I may ask, why are you treating her so kindly? She almost killed you and our men." Hans could tell that he wasn't one of Arendalle's guards.

He took the cloak and wrapped it around Elsa. The woman seemed to ease a bit, but she kept her head on his shoulder. _Don't get too comfortable._ Hans did admit that it was a little weird, but he kinda felt... nice. The man shook his head inwardly. This was no time to be getting... whatever he felt.

He turned to the soldier and replied curtly, "She is still the queen of Arendalle, regardless of her status." The guard still looked confused, but he turned away seeing that that was all Hans was going to say to him.

The group was then ready to go and made their way back to Arendalle.

...

Next thing Hans knew, he was sitting in the lounge by the warm fire with all the other dignitaries. His wounds were treated and fresh bandages were wrapped around his torso, arms and even parts of his legs. He felt like a mummy underneath his winter wear. The giant gauze that stuck to the side of his face didn't seem to help in his opinion. It only irritated him more than he already was.

The whole room was arguing about what to do about this winter – and Elsa. The majority wanted her executed, seeing that this was the solution to end the everlasting chill. Those people were from outside of Arendalle, obviously not knowing much about her. Hans sat at the end of the table, hand pinching the bridge of his nose while he leaned a little back.

The noise was just becoming a bit much. Especially the duke of Weselton's. He mostly jabbered on about how 'that monster almost killed his men'.

Hans would have no more of this. The man stood up, getting everyone's attention. Silence now occupied the room as he studied each and everyone's faces. "Queen Elsa is _not _to be executed. She can still be negotiated with and is only intimidated, and afraid, of what all of you think of her. This is treason – madness. I will not hesitate to protect her rule unless she has committed a real crime."

"But this winter is a crime!" the duke of Weselton spouted. Hans turned to him with daggers in his eyes. "It was an accident," Then to everyone else, "I will try to talk with her. Hopefully we can also find Princess Anna as well. Dismissed."

Most of them nodded, understanding the situation. It was only the duke who shook his head.

As soon as the room was cleared Hans sighed and sat back down, taking a breather. But he smiled. This job was just too easy. And he loved it. Loved the fact that people followed him. His family were a bunch of fools who didn't realize his potential. Well, he would show them, in due time.

Hans then knitted his eyebrows together. He didn't have to defend Elsa. No, he shouldn't have. But he did it anyways. The man was losing his grip on control. No, his control on the kingdom was spot on. It was his own mind he was worried about – like as if he were battling an inner war within himself. After a long sigh he again slowly stood up, his fingers pressed onto the table. Hans was losing sight on what his original goal was, or if he even knew it from the start.

_To rule this kingdom of course._

This man felt that this was the answer and didn't dwell any further into it, seeing that it only gave him a headache. He instead made his way to the next step of his plans.

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><p>Her world finally came to again, but she wasn't in her ice palace. She couldn't recall anything of what happened before. Only her last moments as the ice chandelier came crashing towards her.. and then black. Her shoulder ached and she saw that there were bandages wrapped around around it. <em>What happened? Where am I? Oh no, I need to get out of here.<em>

Getting up, Elsa didn't realize she was in shackles until they pulled her back from her panic. The woman looked down at them and fear crept up her throat. _What's going on? _She leaned as far as she could to the window and took a good long look outside – it was a total disaster. "O-oh no, what have I – what have I done?" Everything was covered in white snow – in the summer! _Where were the lakes? The sun? The open gates? _She really did hope Anna was wrong when she said that an eternal winter was unleashed. Fortune had its way with proving Elsa wrong every time.

She flinched at the sound of creaking behind her. It was _him _again. He gently set down the lamp he held and made his way towards her. Elsa only felt furious at this man. This man who only felt the need to toy with her and her feelings. "Hans, why did you bring me here?"

"I couldn't just let them kill you." _They wanted to kill me?_ She glanced out the window and grunted softly at the thought. Who wouldn't want this winter gone? Elsa turned to Hans again. "But I'm a danger to Arendalle. As its former queen-"

"Elsa, you're still queen."

"-I took an oath to protect Arendalle from any threat. And right now, Hans, _I'm _the threat. Get Anna!"

He had a doubtful look on his face as he tilted his head slightly down and looked up at her. "Anna has not returned." _What? _Elsa studied the window longingly, as if her sister would emerge from the storm any minute. _Anna, where are you? _

"If you would just stop the winter, bring back summer, please." This brought her attention back him. _He just doesn't get it. None of them do. _

"Don't you see? I can't." She watched him cast his face downwards with a pained expression. Elsa just didn't want to hurt anyone, especially him and Anna. But it saddened her even more to know that Hans showed no hint of their kinship before.

"You have to tell them to let me go."

Hans hesitated for a bit and even gave her a look of disbelief, as if thinking really hard on this.

"I will do what I can." He pressed his lips together and started towards the door. After two steps he then paused and looked back over his shoulder. "Queen Elsa, I just want to help you."

A sudden stream of memories flashed through her wide eyes and she suddenly recalled everything that occurred before she became unconscious. Remembering that _he remembered._

Just as Hans was about to walk again Elsa used her entirely chained hands to somehow wrap around clumsily unto one of his arms. He looked at her with question and stopped in his tracks. "Hans," a troubled expression showed plainly on her pale features. "Why didn't you tell me before?" Mixed emotions stormed within herself.

Relief, happiness, confusion, disbelief, anger...

The man could only stare back at her as she pleaded with her eyes. "I _need _to know. I haven't seen you in twelve years, Hans. _Twelve years. _I _want _to know. Why did you come to Arendalle now? Why did you come after me? _Why _can't you just let me go? _Why _didn't you remember before?" She wanted to say so much more – so much to the one person who continuously reminded her of the child sixteen years ago.

His gaze flicked to the chained hands and then back to her, a momentary hint of ill temper and even sadness flashing across them. Finally he spoke up, but it was barely a whisper. "Queen Elsa, you don't understand. This isn't the right place to be talking about such matters. Now if you'll excuse me."

Hans pried her cold, chained hands off of his arm and went to go. Elsa couldn't believe it. _Not understand? Not the right place? Such matters? S_he wasn't going to be left confused like this. Not when he was right in front of her and didn't bother to answer her after all she went through. Her shoulder groaned in pain and her headache only got worse. But she didn't care. _This is the perfect time to talk about this._

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><p>Hans wanted to storm out of that prison; he wanted to throw the lamp into the cold room and perhaps even see it catch into some lone straws scattered around the place. Elsa blamed <em>him <em>for being the one who gave up first. _She's the one who let go. Not me._

Suddenly, he heard the chains rattle loudly behind him, and before he could turn around to see what this fool was doing, he felt a sudden thump against his back. Hans was already cold enough as it was, but the metal around his stomach only sent multiple shivers up his spine. "What are you doing?" he growled. But she only stayed silent and her grip on him tightened slightly, giving the air a cool touch which made Hans only shudder even more.

Yet he didn't want to just leave her like this – and the position they were in made him uncomfortable. The royal family in Arendalle was a strange bunch; getting a little closer than intended. Anna was able to like and take an interest to him after the simple horse/boat incident. But this was different. Back then Hans didn't feel anything much, but now, the cold chains only made his cheeks burn hotter. _What's wrong with you? Being swayed easily like this? _She mumbled into his back and he was glad she couldn't see his angry red face. "I'm not letting go until you tell me." The man snapped to her in embarrassment but failed to see the woman's face, and so settled to look down, seeing that the chains were becoming colder – and so was his body. "Elsa. Let go of me."

"No Hans, you still have to answer my questions. I've been doing everything to protect Arendalle my whole entire life. Even fleeing to protect it from the biggest threat – myself! But please please just allow me this one time to get answers for the sake of my own sanity."

"Queen Elsa, please let go..."

"Hans I-"

"Just-"

"Why, I need to-"

"Elsa, I'm freezing."

There was a moment of silence and Hans dared to look down at his stomach again, where the icy chains were locked around his waist. Blue icicles began to form, which matched the growing frost on the metal handcuffs. They slowly crept upwards, digging into the bandages underneath his formal wear. But all at once they died down when Elsa separated from her one-sided embrace.

Hans turned to the woman and saw that she was abashed, eyes cast downwards in shame. "I-I'm sorry." the Snow Queen whispered. She seemed like she didn't know what to do anymore, holding her hands close to her chest and gazing at his black boots only. Elsa looked so... helpless to Hans. He couldn't help but put his slender hands around her arms, being mindful of her shoulder injury.

The man guided her to the stone bed and set Elsa down gently. She stared into blank space and he sat next to her, trying to give a bit of comfort. Hans raised his hand to touch her face, but hesitated and settled for the top of her head, patting it messily.

Perhaps she'd be able to thaw the winter if she just cooperated with him. He did tell the ambassadors that she could still be negotiated with.

And he wouldn't have to kill her later. _No, that would only cause more trouble. But to who? They all hated her anyways._ At least that's what he thought. _Or did they really?_ What he knew was that it'd be good to just banish her rather than killing. He wasn't the type to take a life just to advance. Or was he? _No that's just too blatant._ The more he pondered about it the more it irritated him.

"Ah – hey," Hans looked to Elsa and saw that her hair was ruffled even more, but she ever so softly, curved up her lips in a faint red-faced smile. The man felt his stomach flutter, which was strange considering that it wasn't in frostbite anymore when Elsa wrapped her icy embrace around his waist. His gut churned even more at the thought and he sighed loudly.

To his surprise, he noticed Elsa regard him intently. It was back to the ice palace. Where he once again forgot the moments in one of the grand room just an hour ago with all the ambassadors – and everything else. No... It was back to the times when they were children. When the little girl would tend to stare at him at random times, whether he was beaten up or in his best wear. As she continued to look at his face, his heart beat faster. _What is she doing? _

Elsa studied him, so he would do the same. Aside from her beautiful and mysterious complexion, her features expressed how sad she seemed. He realized the reason why as soon as her eyes flicked to the side, and Hans noted she was staring at the giant gauge plastered upon his face. "I did that..." Elsa's voice trailed off as she attempted to brush over the bandage, but failed because of her chained hands.

The woman jerked her fearful gaze to his hand and Hans grimaced. Underneath his white gloves his right palm was certainly bandaged and seemed to be getting better. But this woman only seemed to be in pain just knowing what caused these wounds. It surely was interesting, but somehow not in a good way. She didn't realize it yet but Hans saw behind her, from where she sat, up to the ceiling, frost and dangerous-looking ice crystals began to form, cracking as they spread outwards. The temperature in the room seemed to drop more and more. Things were getting dicey for this prince.

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><p>Elsa couldn't concentrate on anything but his wounds. She could recollect her last moments and remembered that it was him who saved her from that falling chandelier. Hans already had been wounded on his hand – and on his face! But the Snow Queen could even see a glimpse of his bandages underneath his light grey jacket, and she became motionless. Those bandages probably spread to the rest of his body. And just a few moments ago she almost froze him to death – it must have hurt him so much! How could this man possibly visit her again after that?<p>

"Prince Hans, you frighten me."

He licked his lips nervously. "Queen Elsa, you're upset – calm down, please." Hans attempted to reach out but Elsa only recoiled back, making wild doe eyes at him. "No! Don't touch me! Please, I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have."

"Queen Elsa, please-"

"No Hans! Stop!" She was now standing over him, heaving heavily and looking now somewhat enraged. This man was driving her crazy. Why did he have to be like this? This argument was simply going in circles. Hans only seemed to stress her out more and more. He growled at himself and she became even more angered at him, her magic creeping up the walls and even through her chains. "Stop calling me _'Queen Elsa'_. Don't you recall anything I said to you at the ice palace?! Stop – don't come near me!" _Why are you so – so... ugh! So stubborn! This is worse than the coronation! _Elsa wanted to scream at him, hoping he'd get it through his dense head that she wanted to be left alone. "Why can't you just leave me alone?! It's Anna you should be finding! It's Anna you should try to comfort! Why do you make me feel so frustrated? Why do you keep coming even though I hurt-"

"**I can't leave you alone because you drive me crazy**!"

He too was now standing over her, breathing slowly, eyes not daring to back off. Elsa felt that there was something hidden in what he said – something he wasn't telling her. The Snow Queen wanted to know what it was. Then the man grabbed her shoulders and her wound shrieked at the sudden shot of pain. But Elsa was too shocked to say anything about it. Despite her constant reminders, he still touched her.

"You just don't get it, Elsa! Twelve years ago... I've tried to contact you _so many times _back then! I even sailed to Arendalle – only to be turned away! Since _day one_ you've been driving me crazy! How can I _not _leave you alone? You're so – so.. ugh! So stubborn! This is worse than dealing with that stupid duke of Weaseltown."

Elsa could feel herself choke on her words. "Then why did you pretend to not know me before?!"

The two stared each other down, both equally angry at the other. Yet the woman felt a little bit of tears threatening to come out. She didn't want to say anything more. But he didn't talk, so Elsa spoke up again. "You constantly led me to believe in something..." She shut her eyes for a few seconds and opened them to see his face again. He was still angry – but there was a hint of daze mixed with his aggravation. Elsa continued, but this time, a little more softly, "But I was wrong... What about Anna? Aren't you two engaged?"

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><p>Hans sighed loudly and groaned in frustration. Things were already complicated enough as it was. But he just <em>had <em>to spout out ridiculous nonsense. Lately he felt that his mind wasn't working so well. Still, he had to say it. For sixteen years she'd been driving him crazy. He was just confused on which way. The man was never the type to rage so easily, so what was _this_? Where was his cool? Where was his character? He needed to calm down – yes, 'calm' was what he needed the most. Hans took a deep breath and gradually let go of her shoulders, letting his fists open and close at his sides.

Eventually his vexation slowly faded away and he could build up his facade again. Hopefully he'd be able to maintain it.

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><p>She really was afraid now. As soon as he let go of her Elsa tried to back away from him but she tripped over her chains. "Wha-" In her panic Hans went down too, failing to properly catch her. He was practically on top of her now, only an arm's length away. Hans breathed a cloud of cold air – he was so close. His face showed complete seriousness, not even feeling awkward about the position they were in. However, Elsa felt completely exposed; she wanted to nothing but to curl up into a ball to get out of his solemn watch. The Snow Queen slowly turned redder, trying and failing to get herself away. This man was just too stiff! If only he would move his arms a little more away.<p>

"Elsa," She froze.

"You didn't even listen to me. Fool, you really drive me crazy." Hans put one of his hands to comb back his hair in frustration. He slowly advanced closer to her again but she didn't back away this time. Her body reacted oppositely than what her mind commanded her.

Elsa felt totally embarrassed when he instead placed his forehead onto the floor right next to her face. _Of course – what did I expect? _They stayed in that position until the Snow Queen couldn't take it anymore.

"Prince Hans," she said with a red face. "Please leave. Now." He complied without looking her in the face, silently getting up and striding swiftly towards the door, making sure to grab the lamp. Before he left he mumbled, "I will do what I can to help you, Queen Elsa." The sound of the door locking made her flinch.

Elsa wasn't able to see what he was feeling.

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><p>As soon as Hans exited to the main halls again, he sauntered over to the wall and leaned on it. The man didn't know why he said all the things he did. Thankfully back then he was able to keep his facade up for a certain period of time… until he had the urge to brush his lips against hers once more, but after the first time, Hans just hesitated and instead pathetically leaned his head down to the ground. Her hair smelled sweet and fresh, like the blanket of snow on the few days of winter. The clip the would always come constantly into his sight continued to confuse him.<p>

But the way she told him to get out struck him deep - after all the things he said - that Snow Queen only had to say 'Please leave. Now.'? He felt like after all his efforts - for God knows what - that was what he got, a command to leave. She really drove him crazy. Hans' heart ached at those cold words. Yet it hurt even more to feel the way he did when he was around her. "What's wrong with you?" he muttered with a hysterical laugh. "Catching feelings?" Then his eyes turned hard as soon as he said this. What he just said wasn't very comforting; a cruel joke really. Hans slowly sunk to the ground with his elbows on his knees, looking to the window across from him.

It was summer, yet outside it looked just like the winter solstice. Icicles hung from the tops and frost covered almost the whole entire view, blurring what really was outside. He looked out this very same scenery as a child – most likely thinking of something happier than what he felt now. Probably on when he could go out to play once the storm died down. Or maybe even the next time he could see Elsa. His mind trailed back to her at this. But he didn't want to think about what just happened a few minutes ago. So Hans leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to fully reminisce for the first time in a long time.

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><p>"<em>Of course I'll always be there for you, I promised that a while ago. You don't even have to mention it." They both smiled and laughed. His shock was then gone and he decided to not think about it and just be happy in his new, yet fragile feelings. Perhaps one day she would be the one he would marry. But of course, that was only a thought he would keep to himself, and to himself only. They walked back, hand in hand to the party that awaited them.<em>

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><p>The man slowly opened his eyes again, staring at the window yet seeing nothing. Why couldn't life just give him what he wanted?<p>

_You could've been my queen._

_You could've worn a ring._

_But you let me go._

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><p>This chapter probably made you like it or just made you really aggravated. I'm so happy that my story is actually part of a community (iceburns) and it was really interesting to be a part of one for the first time! Thanks to the one who included me, it totally made for my days to come, especially since there are so many Frozen fanfics out there. Anyway, thanks for all the followsfavs/reviews. This chapter was actually cut in half because I simply wrote too much – again. So the next chapter will most likely come out very soon. Stay tuned! Tell me what you think?


	5. Chapter 4: You're You

Hey everyone! So sorry for the long-awaited update! I figured that I had to take a break somehow because my brain kept on farting due to other things. But now it's here! And it's long! Really long - I think. Just in case you were wondering, sixteen years ago for Hans was when he was 7; the first time he met Elsa. When he was 11; 12 years ago, he lost connection with her and from there began to feel bitter spite because of his brothers. This is just to clear things up. By the way, all of the things I write from Hans' point of view are all his thoughts, not mine, though it may seem like it. Enjoy and leave reviews please. They bring meaning to my life. Thank you so much!

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><p>It was when the prince was in the library with the other dignitaries when he finally regained his facade. Hans didn't want to feel anything anymore; he just wanted to get the crown already. Too many things hurt him and he was starting to get tired of it. The man wanted to get back at all the things that made his chest feel painful; to destroy the origin of the ache so he wouldn't have to worry about anything else. Yes, and the throne would help him with that.<p>

But Anna could still be alive, and that was a bothersome thought. Hans headed towards the door with a new determination. "I'm going back to find princess Anna." Yet one of the dignitaries stopped him from doing so. "You cannot risk going out there again." he exclaimed with his heavy french accent. Hans decided to play along. "If something happens to her-"

"If something happens to the princess, you are all Arendalle's left." Inside Hans was smiling; it felt good to be the one with the upper hand again. Hans kept his concerned mask on, letting no other emotion trickle past. The man sighed and was about to agree to them – until he heard voices just behind him.

Turning he saw that it was... Kai and Gerda, supporting Anna – much to his disappointment. _Ugh, so many twists to this simple plan. _She was ice cold, but what caught him by surprise was how eagerly she wanted to kiss him.

"Hans you have to kiss me." _Well, I did not expect that._

"What?"

"Now. Now." _Goodness..._

"Whoa, slow down." It was then when Gerda said she'd give them some privacy that Hans didn't want to be alone with this girl. He'd just have to make do with the situation. "What happened out there?"

"Elsa struck me with her powers." She looked to him with earnest eyes, seeming to tell the truth, and the truth only.

"You said she'd never hurt you." _She'd never hurt anyone – physically._

Her next words reminded him of his own childhood, when he lost faith in his own family. "I was wrong – ugh." On the inside, Hans couldn't help but huff at how limited her belief in her sister was, just because she was struck once. But he helped her anyway, picking her up and setting her down on the couch near the fireplace.

Then she touched the bandage on his face and held a look of worry. "Hans, what happened to you?" The man put his hand over hers and smiled warmly. "Don't worry about it. My little.. incident is nothing compared to what happened to you." She returned his with her own shaky one. "Oh Hans." With that Anna continued with her cold situation.

"She froze my heart and, only an act of true love can save me."

Suddenly, Hans was glad they were alone. This was beginning to become too easy for him. _The perfect cover-up. _An opportunity not to be missed.

"...A true love's kiss." He never did love her anyway, so even if he did kiss her, he knew it wouldn't work. A win-win move it was; she'd still believe in him – still love him even, thinking there was something wrong with the spell, and he would pretend to care and "get help", only coming back to find her dead. He'd come out clean and her out of the way. _It's perfect. _

The man stroked the side of her face, his loving mask impenetrable. His fingers ended and lightly held her chin, bringing her expecting lips closer to his.

Just before they touched, he suddenly felt frozen and unable to move, invisible hands clutching at his neck and pulling on his collar. The man couldn't breathe. His throat suddenly felt very dry, swallowing back the bare inner protests that scolded him. Hans ignored it and tried to go in for the kiss again but found himself hesitating. _What are you waiting for?!_

All he had to do was kiss her – that was it. _Just do it already._ But his body wouldn't move any further; the man couldn't bring himself to do what his mind commanded. _Just do it already. _He repeated these words over and over again in his mind. It was so simple, foolproof even. His lips were only inches away from hers... when they froze in place once more. So close... _Go for it! _

No. He could not.

_What? Why?_ His calculative side pressed him on with questions and urged him to go ahead with the plan.

He did not know why. But... he could not.

Still, backing out saying he couldn't kiss her was a coward's move. Hans still had his pride to account for. He had to improvise. Anna awaited for her kiss, closing her eyes for the one thing that wouldn't come. Hans looked at her in disappointment, feeling an all too familiar pain. This girl was too naive and moronic to possibly understand his feelings. Suddenly, Hans wanted to make her feel miserable. Too many things hurt him already – it was his turn now. He smiled wickedly, knowing just the right words to say.

"Oh Anna." She opened her eyes to meet with his. Hans continued, "If only there was someone who loved you."

"What...?" Her face showed great disbelief, shock and angst – and he relished in the moment. _So this is the face I made back then. I was pathetic. _

"You... y-you said you did..." Hans gracefully got up and made his way to the window. _Wouldn't want any witnesses now. _The man smirked at her through the reflection of the window before drawing the curtains closed. For some reason, this act was much easier than his intended one.

"I was thirteenth in line. In my own kingdom I knew I didn't stand a chance – I knew I'd have to marry into the throne somewhere."

"But..! What are you talking about?"

From there he proceeded to take off his left glove to put out the candle. There were bandages where he skidded across the ice palace floor, but that didn't change any of what was happening right now. In a way, they represented himself – constantly covering up the true thoughts inside.

Hans remained cool in front of Anna for the sake of his own pride, making up lies on the spot and lacing them beautifully with the truth. He began to believe them himself. "Well, as heir, Elsa was preferable of course, but," At this, Hans remembered his moments spent with her in her ice palace and the dungeon, feeling bitter yearnings. Thankfully he didn't choke on his next words, voice staying strong despite his inner storm of spite. "but no one was getting anywhere with her. But you," He looked to her with mock. "you were so desperate for love you were willing to marry me _just like that._" He shook his head and picked up the pitcher full of water, proceeding to put out the flames in the fireplace. It was a cruel statement, but he believed her longing for love to be so absolutely ridiculous he had to say something about it. _How naive. Who falls in love after one day? _A little memory struck his head, but it was so vague at the moment the man didn't care to notice.

After he said that, his mind did most of the talking, ignoring how he really felt. It was back to auto-pilot, calculative Hans. Things were better like that anyways. "I figured, after we'd married, I'd have to stage a little accident for Elsa." Did he really mean that? Probably. But at least it sounded believable to Anna's ears. "Hans – ugh! No, stop.." She fell to the floor, desperately trying to reached for the fire that was no longer there. Soon the only light in the room faded to a dim darkness. Hans shook the pitcher dry and set it down on the table, enjoying her hopelessness. He'd rather see others suffer than feel the pain himself. Hans continued to make her feel even more guilty. "Then she doomed herself, and you were dumb enough to go after her." _But then I saved her. Tch... that ruined the whole plan. _Though he thought this, the man didn't regret his decisions.

Her pleas went on, ignoring what he said. "No… please."

"All that's left now, is to kill Elsa, and bring back summer." He felt that he was now going a little too far. Kill someone? Would he dare to, let alone Elsa?

Her next words came strong despite her pathetic display. "You're no match for Elsa."

Hans grimaced and was even taken aback for a moment. But the man regained his composure quickly before she noticed. Roughly taking her chin, she forced her to look him in the eye. "No, you're no match for Elsa." _You couldn't even bring her back like you planned._

Anna pulled her face out of his grasp and looked away. Hans carried on, getting up to put back his glove. "I on the other hand," He smirked evilly at her while he calmly adjusted his crisp white gloves. "am the hero, who is going to save Arendalle from destruction."

With that Hans strode to the door with confidence. Now that he said it out loud, he believed in his objectives more and more. As if saying the reason was good enough to go along with it. From behind him he heard Anna's voice turn hard. "You won't get away with this."

He opened the door and looked smugly back at the girl. She was like a puppy trying to bark threats while not knowing its own powerlessness._ How pitiful._

"Oh, I already have." The man shut the door and locked it. _Wouldn't want anyone to find out now._

While walking away Hans could hear her subtle pleas slowly fade away back into silence.

Somehow, this reminded him of one of the times his own brothers had locked him inside his own room. Of course Hans was able to get out – he was just that smart as a kid. But it wasn't until a few hours later when he had to risk his life trying to get down the window from the third floor of the castle. He twisted his ankle badly once he landed and had to be in crutches for a good month before it healed.

The man shook the thought away and stopped in front of the dining room doors. Adjusting his shirt and taking a deep breath, all he had to do was remember all the times his heart broke to act like it did right now. In truth he'd prefer not to feel at all – but it wouldn't be as believable if he did what he preferred.. Memories of his brothers taunting him, his parents ignoring him, people leaving him. Then Elsa. No, he did not want to remember that. Still, his mind replayed the memories against his will. Her promise – broken. _She purposely became your friend so that you can feel joy... then abandoned you so that you can feel pain. Yes, Hans. Believe in this._ He gritted his teeth, clutching his left hand over his chest while the other grabbed onto the door handle a little more hard than it should.

From inside the room he could see the other dignitaries talking amongst themselves, but they stopped their conversation as soon as he entered the room. Immediately did they come towards him, concerned looks on their faces. From their reactions, Hans could tell that he looked anguished. He felt anguished too, his heart unintentionally throbbing more than it should. But it was believable, so he ignored the feeling. And he would continue this charade if it meant advancing forward. "Princess Anna is... dead." They all gasped and the Duke of Weselton gently guided him to a chair while one of the other dignitaries held it out for him. Hans collapsed onto it, holding his forehead on his fingers. "What happened to her?" they asked. The man squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again. "She was killed, by Queen Elsa." Again they gasped and he sneered behind his pained facade. The Duke of Weselton gave a sad frown. "Her own sister.."

"At least," He took a shaky breath and cast his eyes downwards. "we got to say our marriage vows. Before she died in my arms.." _This is it. _

Thankfully, Hans didn't have to do much to get their cooperation. The Duke of Weselton was able to convince them all on his own – the old man was just that easy to manipulate. "There's no mistaking it now. Queen Elsa is a monster and we are all in grave danger." He turned to the others with a determined look. Hans huffed on the inside. Ever since she revealed her powers, the Duke persistently kept on seeing her as only a threat, thinking her magic was hideous and dangerous. To Hans it was, frankly.. beautiful – not hideous. Powerful – not dangerous.

Still, despite this, Hans kept his face sad and unwavering. The Spanish dignitary put his hand on his chest and looked to the sitting man. "Prince Hans, Arendalle looks to you."

The prince closed his eyes, thinking only about his next step. "With a heavy heart," Was he ready to say this? He never was the type to take a life. His heart and mind thought differently. However, Hans went along with his mind, thirst of the crown so close. The man opened his eyes and looked to the faces that stood before him. "I charge Queen Elsa of Arendalle, with treason, and sentence her to..." Again, he never was the type to take a life, let alone Elsa's. Would he really want to take hers? _She deserves it. _A part of him kept coming up with reasons to do so. But there was always one that would hold him back._ Shut up! Regain control, regain control. You're so close! _"... and sentence her to death." There, he said it. No turning back now. Somehow saying things made him feel better, no matter how vulgar it sounded. The man laughed on the inside. The refreshing feeling of power. Yes, things were much more clearer now. He was closer to his throne.

* * *

><p>The snowstorm wasn't getting any better, and Elsa felt more and more uneasy by the moment. Anna could be anywhere and that man didn't exactly comfort her about the fact either. So many things were on her mind. Things that gave her headaches and chest pains and red-tinged cheeks. Before the ice around her came in a soft, subtle sheet around the walls and ceiling. Now they were growing thicker and sharper by the minute, creating fissures into the dungeon walls. What was causing her stress?! She knew she had to be troubled in some sort of way for her magic to react like this. Elsa paced the room and put her chained hands around herself for comfort. Why did she feel so tense? The Snow Queen flopped onto the stone bed with aggravation. But then she felt his warm hand on her head and immediately shot right back up. "Okay, Elsa. It's okay. Just control it, control it." Still, the memories from before kept on repeating themselves over and over in her head. <em>He does remember. He does remember. Hans does remember.<em>

* * *

><p>"<strong>I can't leave you alone because you drive me crazy<strong>!"

"You just don't get it, Elsa! Twelve years ago... I've tried to contact you so many times back then! I even sailed to Arendalle – only to be turned away! Since day one you've been driving me crazy! How can I not leave you alone? You're so – so.. ugh! So stubborn! This is worse than dealing with that stupid duke of Weaseltown."

"Elsa," She froze.

"You didn't even listen to me. Fool, you really drive me crazy." He slowly advanced closer to her again but she didn't back away this time. Her body reacted oppositely than what her mind commanded her.

Elsa felt totally embarrassed when he instead placed his forehead onto the floor right next to her face. _Of course – what did I expect?_ They stayed in that position until the Snow Queen couldn't take it anymore.

* * *

><p>This memory gave her butterflies and she had to put her cold, chained hands on her face to cool herself down. And somehow, the ice in the dungeon thawed just a little. But...<p>

_"You constantly led me to believe in something... But I was wrong... What about Anna? Aren't you two engaged?"_

Where the ice once thawed, they became re-enforced with heavy masses of icicles and shards. Elsa was afraid to feel. She was afraid to feel something she shouldn't have, because her sister already had it. All the more reason Elsa had to get out of there. _Anna! I have to find you! _

The Snow Queen knew that no one was coming to save her, and she would probably be put to death, according to that prince. Not only that, but she herself was a great threat to Arendalle. Elsa almost froze Hans to death and almost killed him several times! It was too painful to see other get hurt. Isolation was the best thing she could think of to redeem herself. She focused all her energy into escaping, and eventually everything around her became laced with ice blue snowflakes. The walls were caving in.

Then she heard voices at the door. _So they are here to kill me. _But Elsa would have no more of that. There was Anna she had to find. And perhaps, if they would just let her go, the snowstorm would be gone and follow elsa to the next horizons. She would punish herself by banishment. The door banged and the ceiling groaned. Elsa pulled on the chains. _Almost there!_

* * *

><p>Hans calmly strode towards her jail cell, a little behind the four palace guards that marched ahead, taking his time to get there. But by the time the guards were at the door they began to shout and bang on it. They managed to get the door open, but the ceiling immediately caved in on them. Hans frowned and rushed to them, pushing the palace guards aside to see what happened. Only frozen shackles and a giant hole in the wall remained. The man glowered at this, frustrated by how many times he had to improvise. Thankfully, the guards behind him couldn't see his face.<p>

Infuriated, Hans promptly dressed in his winter gear and strapped on his sword. His bandage was taken off of his face, but the scar remained, subtle, but still there. It throbbed but Hans had to concentrate at the task in hand. He had to go after her. He had to finish his job. Why did she have to run? _Why couldn't everything just go according to the original plan?! All there was to it was to court... _A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. _All there was to it was to court Elsa... get the throne, and rule over Arendalle. Maybe even place accidental deaths if they got in the way. But no! That Anna just had to be too easy and Elsa just had to be too hard. On top of that even rebelling?! Enough is enough – that throne is mine! _She only made things more complicated just when he was ready to sentence her to death. _Wait, I wasn't ready before? _Hans clenched the hilt of his sword tighter. It still lay in its sheath but he held on to it for reassurance. Whether he was ready or not, Elsa had to go – she was only in his way. _She _was the villain in this tale. Or at least, that's what a part of him thought.

* * *

><p><em>Anna! Where are you?! <em>

Elsa looked through the blizzard with angst and worry. She wanted to find her sister, but she also wanted to get out of there. It would be the only way out. Everyone hated her anyway for this. Why was she still there? Elsa had to go – far, far away if she had to. All for the sake of protecting Arendalle. The flurry of thoughts – the storm of fear kept eating away at her. She didn't even know what to feel about _him_.

_He already... has someone else... _Elsa wanted to cry_._ _I have to get out of here! _She was afraid that she was now becoming mad because of all these thoughts.

"Elsa! Stop!"

Through the blizzard Elsa turned to see Hans emerge from the flurries, just a few meters away from her. What was wrong with this man? Why did he always have to run after her? Was this a game of cat and mouse over and over again?

"You can't run from this!"

She felt that there was more to what he said. "Just stay away, Prince Hans." _Stop toying with me! _"Why do you always have to follow me?! Why?! It's always the same thing but you never listen to my warnings! Go back with Anna, where you'll be safe from me."

Though it wasn't that visible, Elsa could still see the scar she made on the side of Hans' face. It ached her heart to see that she hurt someone like that. She would have no more.

"Just... take care of my sister!"

She inched farther back away from him but he just kept on slowly coming towards her. "Your sister? She returned from the mountain weak and cold. She said that _you _froze her heart. I'm following you because of this!"

"No..." _Anna, what happened to you?_

Hans put his hands to his chest, the wind blowing his hair violently back. "I tried to save her but it was too late." _What is he talking about?_ "Her skin was ice, her hair turned white." _What have I done, Anna._ "Your sister is dead!" _What?! No... that can't be._ "Because of you."

"No.." Elsa turned away from him and staggered forward. The storm getting stronger and stronger. _Being told this by him. Being told that Anna is... because of me. Because of me. _The Snow Queen didn't make it very far before she eventually collapsed. Everything halted, even the snowflakes didn't move from their place in the air. Not even the wind was there to comfort her. Everything was just... there – unmoving. _Anna. Anna. What have I done? _From where she sat, Elsa began to weep.

* * *

><p>The man stood a little ways behind her. <em>Foolish. Just foolish. <em>Elsa still believed he was that pure of a person. He made her weak, telling her Anna was dead. _She probably is anyway_. And now, while her head is down, he'll strike her and it will all be his. But something about the way she fell broke a piece of his icy heart. Hans... wanted to cradle her in his arms and comfort her. Maybe he could also come out clean like this. Become her king. Wasn't that what he wanted?

_No! Stop fooling yourself! _He shouldn't be feeling anything for this woman! She only cared about concealing herself, but no – she didn't bother to think what her _abandonment _meant to him.

_She _was the villain in this tale – not him. _He _would save Arendalle from this treacherous winter and they would crown him the king – the hero who proudly annihilated the wicked Snow Queen. _I may not be pure, but __**I am the hero**__._ The more he believed it in his mind, the more his heart began to be convinced of it as well. A grin of malice spread across his face.

_Forget_ the childhood. _Forget_ the past. _Don't feel her thoughts. Don't feel your... your what? What are you feeling? _

Hans gritted his teeth at that thought and took out his sword, bringing it up for the final blow. _Not now! Arendalle is within my grasp! Don't feel! The throne is handed in a silver platter! __I sacrificed so much, Aghi, Kasper, Edvard, foolish brothers! __**I am the one to overpower you!**_

He couldn't help but let out a little laugh of victory. Then the small, childish voice interrupted his thoughts again.

_Elsa. _

He faltered –

and that small pause gave Elsa's sister, _Anna_, enough time to come between the two.

"NOOO!"

A sonic wave turned his world black...

* * *

><p>...Then it faded to white.<p>

The man lay on his front, face covered by his arms. _What happened to everything? _Last thing he could remember was that he was about to gain the throne. Until Anna stopped him. _Ugh. Where am I?_

It was only him in the world – everything else was gone, nothing to be seen even beyond the horizon. White was all he could make out of the place he was in. And at least, he thought he was alone.

When he recovered from his shock, he sat up and rubbed his jaw. Looking slightly up, a little boy stood in front of him. The boy seemed... upset. He decided to speak up, a little apathetic and unsympathetic at the moment. "Who are you, kid?" But the boy continued to stare, making the air around them heavy. Finally he spoke up. "It's Hans, scoundrel."

"What?"

"I never told you my name. Well, now you know it. Calling me 'kid' like that makes me uncomfortable."

_Ah, so I'm dreaming. Wait, this is no time to be dreaming. But, theres nothing I can do until I wake up and resume what I was doing. _So he decided to play along with it.

"Well so is 'scoundrel'."

The little Hans shrugged. "From the looks of it, that's what your name should be." Oh Hans wanted to throw something at this little boy. His fingers twitched at the thought too. But he would be patient. The two stared at each other for a long time, and Hans took in the little boy's features while doing so. It was funny how clear the boy was in his dream. _Aren't dreams usually hazy?_ Gazing at this 'little Hans' was literally like looking at his past, complete with a simple white dress shirt, a light grey jacket and trousers, with the little black shoes that were just one size too big. _That was what I wore the day I met Elsa..._ His eyes were still big and wide, full of wonder. But deep, deep within, they looked a little burnt out, as if a dark force put out his light. _So this is me before, _Hans thought.

The little boy continued on. "Why were you hurting Elsa?" Hans' eyes narrowed at this person who foolishly spoke his mind.

"I don't see what I am doing wrong." Hans put his elbows on his knees. Even when he was sitting, the two were almost at eye level. Hans was just that tall; or maybe his past self was just that short.

He simply stated, "_I _am the hero of this tale."

"Then why did you leave Anna? Why did you make Elsa cry?" Hans couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Do you know how many times _that person_ has made _you _cry? Fess up, because this is the harsh reality." The boy walked closer to his older self and stopped when they were only inches away. He put his small hand to Han's cheek, a look of pure sympathy crossing over his face. "Hans, it's okay to say it."

The man was confused. "Say what?"

But his other self only smiled ever so slightly. "I am you. And you are me. I was the little voice in the back of your heart you kept on shutting out. But you listened this time, before you were to make the biggest mistake of your life."

Jade on jade eyes stared down each other, the only difference being that one of them was woeful while the other serious. None could tell which expression belonged to who. "What mistake?" Hans uttered a little angrily. The boy pursed his lips. "When you were about to kill Elsa."

Hans was furious at what this child said. What did he know? His voice only got in the way of his plans, annoying him every time. He frowned and batted away the boy's hand from his face. "The evil sorceress? Ha, don't make me laugh. That fool continuously doomed herself and forced her own people to hate her. Who wouldn't want her gone?"

"You wouldn't."

Hans immediately stood up, looking through his lashes at the boy. He seemed to overpower him not only in size, but also in will and tone. The man intimidated him and the boy cowered a little bit back. This didn't make Hans want to back down. He was aggravated at this boy, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

"You ignorant simpleton. Don't talk about Elsa as if she was the heroine. What about _you_?! What happened to _you_?! She said she'd be there for you. What happened to that?! If you're me, you should understand how much hurt we ended up going through! 'It's okay to say it.' Say what?! Say that 'I love her'?! How can I?! I'm so devoid of that! I'm so devoid of _that emotion_! Wake up you fool!" He felt like he was shouting at himself more than the little boy.

Little Hans teared up, but he began to get angry too. "You're the fool! Why can't you just listen to me too? I want to be heard too, but you always ignored me! You're no better than that playboy Edvard, Adam, Ruben, the twin losers Aghi and Kasper and Georg! Even William, Sigmund, Isak, Lennart, Markus, and Thomas seem better than you – you meanie head!"

Hans had to take long breaths to stop himself from strangling the kid. Man was he so maddening. This was absurd – Hans was having an argument with himself!

"I _am_ better than them! Because the crown was going to be mine soon – until you intervened! You were getting no where in your life – _thirteenth _in line – until the doorway to Arendalle's throne opened. Dear Hans, you were the one who wanted to be better than our brothers! Why didn't you just let me take us ahead of them?"

"Because you came for another reason!"

The man grimaced, eyes wide in shock. He slowly sat back down with his head looking to the distance, a little winded and annoyed at this boy's smart-ass comebacks. They already annoyed him before, but now they just made him want to force a few tears out of this boy. "No, that would just cause much more of a pain," he grumbled to himself. "Geez, I was so immature back then." This dream was taking quite a long time. When was he going to wake up?

Hans then heard a few sniffles and turned, only to see his past self crying a bit. He only stared at the boy bringing his small hands to his eyes, silently sobbing. "Ah, geez..." Hans couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic this time even though he knew he was dreaming.

It was _him _after all.

He was hurting all the same.

"Look, hey. I'm sorry, okay?" Silence passed between the two, the only sound was the child's soft murmurs of sobs. Hans regretted raising his voice; he didn't have the right to, after all that he did. This boy was at the age where he still had innocent hope, and Hans realized this fact. Guilt squeezed at his stomach.

He began to slowly, quietly, sing a lullaby to make him feel better. He didn't know why, but it just felt right to do it. The man rarely sang unless he absolutely had to, including the time when he decided to play along with Anna's ballad. But this was an exception. His melodic voice echoed throughout the place, yet they were the only two to hear.

"Other people walk through life  
>where you prefer to zip.<br>And other people watch their step  
>where you'll most likely trip.<br>Sure your hair's not perfect,  
>and it's – okay, maybe a little.<br>Yeah, you're kinda ill-mannered,  
>with freckles on your nose..."<p>

The man then began to smile, looking right into the child's eyes, and wiping away his tears. He could sing his feelings because they were to himself only.

"But you're you... you-you,  
>And that's what makes me smile.<br>You're you... you-you  
>So stay that way awhile."<p>

The boy wanted to snort a little. "You're really wei-"

"You don't have to say a thing, I know the way you feel." _Yes, I know.  
><em>"Your face is like an open book;  
>so honest true and real.<br>People like _me_ lie and cheat,  
>When push may come to shove.<br>Your heart doesn't have to work like that,  
>You can still truly love.<br>You're you... you-you,  
>That's how I hope you stay.<br>You're you... you-you.  
>But anyway, that's all I've got to say." he ended with a soft and short laugh.<p>

The boy's crying receded slowly by slowly, his tears becoming fewer as Hans took a knee and messed up his auburn cut into a lion's mane. They were close enough to truly see how much the other had grown next to his past self.

Little Hans gave a somewhat sad-looking dimple. "Hans, I think that song was meant for you..." There was a moment of silence as Hans tried to understand what the boy was saying. Little Hans continued, "Goodbye Hans. There is still love." the boy self said. He slowly lifted Hans arm down from his messed up hair and held on to it tight with both his hands. His past self then put an item onto Han's palm and closed his fingers around it.

Little Hans then let go and turned, and that's when the man saw her. His eyes widened as she magically appeared by his own side and ran to the boy, reaching to hold his hand. He watched with shock and a little bit of longing, his mouth hanging slightly open. Hans realized that they were both smiling, hand in hand. She messed up his hair even more and laughed at how the boy looked. This seemed so familiar, yet was a faraway memory.

Ruptures and chinks were slowly engraving themselves deep into the icy layers of his frozen heart. What happened to _his _happiness?

He opened his hand and saw a blue satin ribbon, hanging loosely on his palm. The man whipped his head back to the two children, awed and shocked. "Wait." he croaked. His heart felt a deep pang and his chest instantly grew heavy. Still, they would continue to walk away, until they eventually disappeared from his sight. Just moments ago he yelled at the little boy. Just moments ago he sung a lullaby to the child. But now who was there to set _him _straight? Who was there to lull him? No one. None to wipe his tears away or pat his auburn hair messy. "Wait... Elsa," Hans bent forward on his elbows, head tucked in. "Don't leave me..." he cried. "What happened to me... Elsa... Don't leave... me."

Suddenly, Hans wasn't the manipulative, charming man he was anymore. Only a weeping boy from twelve years ago knelt in his place, heartbroken.

* * *

><p>Aww this chapter gave me a little bit of feels. Review once, twice, three times; all give me joy as an independent writer and shows me that this is actually being liked. Thank you. As for Hans' song, try searching up Frozen's outtake "You're you". Honestly I played that song in the background while reading over that part (it was deep) – and as you can see, I tweaked the lyrics just a bit because it was originally intended for Anna, but I felt that it fit perfectly with how he felt towards his past self. And for some reason... this gave me the notion that that scene would make a good father-son moment... if it wasn't himself... huh. Please leave reviews! Thanks so much and stay tuned.<p> 


	6. Chapter 5: Words of a Wise Man

Hullo again. It still surprises me whenever I get new followers and favs despite not having updated in so long – thank you to those readers, and everyone else too. I apologize if some parts are pretty obvious, but please forgive me for the parts of the story that are exactly according to the movie. Review/favourite/follow – they're the only thing I live off of other than a healthy diet of baby food you can buy at ToysRus for a few bucks. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

><p>Everything was still. Not even the snowflakes amongst the flurry dared to move from their place.<p>

Elsa didn't see it all, but she felt a presence in her back, dark and menacing. Then a light came between her and the piercing aura. It was only after the light became blue did she realize the light was her. It was only after the invisible sound wave did she realize the dark feeling was him. Her heart broke in two ways, knowing that the two people she loved were both at odds, and both lost.

It was only a few minutes ago that _he _told her that Anna had died back then. But then again, it was only a few minutes ago that Elsa witnessed her sister's skin turn into pure ice. Anna was claimed to have died, but she suddenly appeared, and just when the queen could see her once more, she was in this state. Elsa never got to say goodbye. Still, she was there – and he lied to her, attempting murder as well. _Why? _

An elegant and heroic statue the sculpture was, but she didn't want that. The Snow Queen wanted Anna; not this iced being that looked like her. So many thoughts stormed within Elsa. She could feel others around her at a distance, but she was too submerged in her tears and confusion to pay any heed. Anna was the last person she wished to have her powers hurt. _Anna... Anna I'm so sorry.. so sorry.. Please, please, come back. Please come back.. I love you._

Then, amongst the silence, she felt the cold hard ice slowly turn into something softer. A gasp broke out and Elsa looked up to see what was going on. "Anna?" Her heavy heart became lighter and it felt like a weight was brought off of her shoulders. She couldn't have possibly bore the guilt of being the one to kill her sister. But here she was, in the flesh and bone. The queen embraced her to make sure it wasn't just in her mind. When she felt the warmth come to her, Elsa sighed in relief and joy.

"You sacrificed yourself for me?" The woman couldn't believe that her sister would do that, when all Elsa did was cast herself out and push her away.

Anna smiled warmly at her as she held her hands. "I love you, Elsa." Olaf took in a deep breath of awe and realization. "And act of true love will thaw a frozen heart!" Everything began to make sense now, everything started coming together. Why didn't she see it before? "Love will thaw.. of course." Elsa was so stuck on her fear that she never had the chance to step back, and look at the big picture. Everyone _was _there for her; the woman just hadn't realized it then. Love, that is.

She stretched her hands out, and at the command of her gesture, all the snow in Arendalle shucked off of the roofs and ground. The water became liquid once more and the boats emerged from beneath. Still, she just couldn't help but end it all in a beautiful way. Somehow she thought of the snowflake clip pinned to the end of her hair, and her heart made an extra beat at this. All the snow gathered together into the sky and became one giant snowflake, all for the land to see. One way or another, seeing the same elaborate pattern made her cheeks glow against her pale cheeks. It made her happy. The snowflake in the sky dissipated until it was no more and the people stretched their hands out to the small excess sparks that fluttered upon their noses.

All was sunny once more and good. The only bad thing that happened onwards was when Olaf started melting, but that was immediately solved. Just because it was hot didn't mean there couldn't be snow. The little snowman chuckled in joy at his new personal flurry and Elsa couldn't help but also smile at the fact that everything was falling into place – well, almost everything.

As the group turned to head to land, Elsa noticed an unconscious figure in the corner of her eye. She turned her head and saw that it was Hans, unmoving from where he lay. Anna also looked towards the direction and immediately snarled. The girl stomped over to the motionless prince, fist out and ready. "Oh you are _so _gonna regret messing with us mister..!" Even the ice man she was with went to join her. But Elsa hurried to their fronts, blocking their way and holding the two back with her hands towards them. "H-hold on, hold on." The woman looked from the faces of the two people in front of her to the unconscious man laying somewhat peacefully on the ground. A lock of hair sprawled across his face and Elsa wanted to brush it off, and stroke his face and... _this is no time to be daydreaming! _She would hold herself and her strange unknown desires.

She then looked to her front once more, seeing the two putting down their fists, but with confused faces. The queen sighed and also lowered her arms until they rested in front of herself. Her hands squeezed against each other in nervousness. What she was going to say next was probably going to drive them crazy, especially Anna. But something had to be done. "We can't just leave him there."

Anna put her hands to her hips, eyebrows furrowed in question. "Of course we're not.. we're going to beat that jerk up, put him in jail, and then send him back to his dopey homeland." Elsa took a deep breath and maintained her professional posture. "I.. I suggest we instead put him in one of our guest chambers under watch. We cannot simply condemn an unconscious man." Anna couldn't help but grimace at this, as well as the blonde one beside her. They both still seemed puzzled about where Elsa was going with this. Handling the matter was more difficult than Elsa thought. Why was she even doing this anyway? He tried to _kill _her for crying out loud. Anna seemed to emphasize on this fact as well. "Elsa, can I talk to you? In private?"

With that, Elsa hesitated to leave Hans' side, but reluctantly went with her sister farther back into the ship. From the distance they could hear everyone's cheering, which made the queen feel a little bit less nervous than she was before. Everyone was rejoicing while they were facing yet another problem. Anna turned back to face Elsa furled her fists. "Elsa are you _crazy_? That... t-that _fake _tried to kill me – and, and you too! How can we possibly not charge him guilty? He's clearly guilty in our eyes." Elsa would not give in. No matter how many faults and evil deeds he did, it didn't seem right to her to just send him back home in the state and situation he was in.

Unlike everyone else, the queen thought a few more steps ahead. If they were to send him back home in shackles and behind bars, imagine how his family would treat him, and what he would feel. The prince would either be exiled, and would come back for revenge, or thrown into jail to wallow and eventually be consumed by his own darkness. Elsa knew the feeling of being alone with no one to turn to – she knew it all too well to feel the guilt of having someone else experience it. She would _not _have another go through what she did, especially Hans. Because unlike her, he did not have the sibling love she received – at least, that was what she thought. _Hopefully things have changed with the relationship between his family and him... please... _Anna snapped her fingers in front of Elsa, bringing her back to reality. The queen cleared her throat and grabbed her sister's hands. "Anna, I know you probably won't like this, but I know what I am doing. I know he tried to kill me and such, but in the eyes of the _dignitaries _and the _people _he did not do anything wrong other than try to save Arendalle from me. To them, he didn't appear to have done anything wrong."

"But-"

"Anna, please. I love you, and I really need your support this time. Please trust in me... I... I see my past self in him... and I can't imagine what will happen next if... if _we _don't show mercy.." Only silence filled the air between the two after that. Elsa looked up to meet Anna's eyes and saw them soften. Her sister put their hands to her chest and squeezed tighter. "...okay... we'll go along with this," The princess pointed her finger to Elsa with a smirk. "But only because I love you and trust your judgements."

They embraced once more and returned to the rest of the group back in the docks of the ship. The blonde-haired man hit his fist against his palm as the two came towards them. "So are we beating the jerk up or what?" Anna shook her head and went to hook her arm against his, but just before she did, Elsa held her back and whispered into her ear. "Anna, can you please keep this a secret?" Her sister seemed a bit shocked, but nodded her head anyway. With that, the girl rushed to the man's side. "Uhm.. no we're not because... he deserves our pity, okay Kristoff?" He sighed in disappointment, but held her arm as well. "He doesn't deserve anything..." he grumbled under his breath. Elsa gazed the two of them joking around from afar and couldn't help but smile at this. Still, even though they seemed happy, she noticed that Anna had only met him the night before. The Snow Queen would keep her surveillance check on that man.

And so, the guards came in, and Elsa commanded them to take Hans away to be treated and rested in one of their guest chambers. He didn't move an inch as they lifted him onto the soft cushions of the king-sized mattress.

...

A week had passed by since the Great Thaw, and the man remained still. Hans wore a fresh linen mens night gown from the staff's supply, so unlike his usual formal wear. Even though the clothes were ridiculous, the man was still dashing, despite looking like a ghost. Elsa couldn't imagine him in such wear, but it was the only thing they had at the moment.

From outside she could hear the people laughing, rejoicing outside on the new temporary skating rink Elsa created, but she couldn't help but stay inside and watch over Hans with a certain kind of serenity. For once, she felt at peace staying inside. Perhaps it was because there was someone else with her.

Elsa sat relaxed on a chair beside the sleeping man, reading out a book to him in a quiet tone.

"... The Queen looked at him silently, thinking all the while that, provided he did not ask her hand in marriage, there was no need to call the goblins.

Then, to her great surprise, she discovered that his behaviour touched her heart. She realized she was becoming quite fond of this hunter, much younger and more handsome than her other suitors. Time passed and the Snow Queen dared not admit, not even to herself, that she would actually like to marry the young man.  
>In the meantime, the goblins kept watch over their mistress; first they were astonished... then..."<p>

Her voice trailed off as her eyes slowly shifted from the contents of the story to the blankets that rose ever so softly. The woman quietly and slowly closed her book and brought her chair a little closer towards Hans. Holding the novel close to her chest, she studied the face of the sleeping man that complicated her thoughts. In a way – a strange way – she could... somehow relate. The story was simply, a little different. And so was Hans. Once her friend and a child, once a trickster and attempted killer... once a... still is... holding a place in her heart.

The queen frowned in a blush and clutched at the hard leather. A strange feeling it was, making her feel warm, yet burning her inside out. And only towards this... mirror image of herself. Elsa gradually put her left hand towards his face and poked his cheek softly. It was something Anna would do – poking, that is.

But his face felt warm and the woman frowned. She reached her palm to touch his forehead for a long time, looking to see if he was doing alright. After a while Elsa sighed in relief. "..thought you caught a cold there." Then she realized that her hand was resting for an uncomfortably long time and she recoiled with a mad blush. Still, Elsa regained herself and sighed loudly in an un-queen-like way. There was no one there to watch, so she allowed herself to do it just once. A lock of hair sprawled across his forehead, just like last time. Even though there was no one around, Elsa glanced from side to side hastily before looking back at Hans. Her heart began to beat faster, as her fingers lightly brushed his hair aside. Squeezing her eyes shut and pursing her lips, she brought her face closer to his. Blushing shades of scarlet, Elsa planted a light soft kiss on the top of Hans' forehead.

The queen quickly settled the book down on to the chair and strode quickly to the doors. Just before she could open the handle, the doors swung open much to her surprise. It was Kai, who came face to face with a very wide-eyed Elsa. He frowned in question. "My queen, are you alright?" She took a breath and regained her composure, smiling at the man. "I'm good, Kai. Is everything alright?"

Kai switched his gaze from the queen to the sleeping prince in bed and coughed. "About that, there is a ship docking into our harbours, and it seems to have come from the Southern Isles.. Perhaps for prince Hans?" Elsa contemplated at this. _Who would come to Arendalle now..? Unless, a brother? _At the thought of one of his brothers arriving, Elsa's breath caught in her throat. But she wouldn't show her uneasiness to Kai. "I will see to their docking myself. Thank you Kai," Just as the man turned to go Elsa called out to him once more. "Also, will you call Anna as well? I know that she is having a 'date' right now, but this is quite important."

"Of course, your majesty." Kai turned and bowed to her in understanding before going down the hall. The queen held on to the door, glancing back at Hans, still unmoving in bed. She was really hoping he'd wake up soon; there were still many things she wanted to clear up, especially from the past. A blush emerged once more, faint yet present. Her hand gave one more squeeze at the door before letting go to greet the new visitor.

...

Elsa stood at the docks, the slight summer breeze lightly combing her hair back. The large ship stood before her, but the queen did not seem the least bit intimidated by its crew. It was the man who had yet to come out she had to look out for.

She heard panting just behind her and turned just in time to see Anna stop to put her hands on her knees, one hand out in a weak 'hold on' gesture. She was smiling like a madman – Elsa could tell she had a great time in today's date with that ice-master. The queen looked to her sister in mirth and asked about her day. Anna took a breath and straightened herself, combing her hair back with a smirk. "Oh, you know – we went on a picnic on a meadow – under a tree – and-and.. he pushed me on a swing – until it broke a-and stuff. But yeah." Elsa smiled happily with her sunshiny sister, wondering how fun it would be to have a picnic – she would try it one time.

But her grin was short-lived, and melted into a confused frown when a certain person finally revealed himself.

A rather fair-looking man stepped out onto the docks and bowed gracefully to Elsa. He wore an almost black merchant's blazer with purple trimmings and dark pants complete with black boots – Elsa figured it was pretty strange for someone to wear such dark colours on a day so fine. Still, the smell of.. _Fuschias _reached their noses, which Elsa found to be rather odd for a conservative-looking man. To her, he seemed very unfathomable, complicated to a point where it was just difficult to tell whether he was serene or apathetic. She nodded her head to him and he gave a faint, unnoticeable smile her way. Memories from her past recollected into clips and Elsa recalled exactly which prince this was. The queen knew because he was the one prince Hans didn't speak so badly of. Anna tugged on Elsa's sleeve and whispered to her ear, "Elsa, do you seriously think we can trust this guy? He's from the Southern Isles for goodness sakes. That's the very definition for bad!"

The queen gave her a reassuring smile, despite feeling a little uneasy herself. "I know Anna, but we can't simply refuse someone who travelled so far, now can we? Also, he's Hans' only _safe _ride home."

Anna was a little taken aback by this. "Safe ride?"

She whispered to Anna, keeping their voices low so that the man across from them wouldn't overhear. It was a bit rude, but it was important to let Anna know of what would happen. "If we let Hans go on his own without chains, there's no guarantee that he would just come back, or that something may happen during his journey back. If he were in chains, then he would be condemned.. We'll try to convince his brother as well of this."

The princess sighed greatly, but nodded her head. "Okay Elsa, but this guy seriously creeps me out," With that, the two turned to the waiting man and tipped their heads in apologies. "Let's get this over with." Anna whispered under her breath.

"Ah, where are my manners? Prince Thomas of the Southern Isles." The man introduced himself softly and once again bowed to the two gracefully, looking at Elsa in the eyes as he stood back up. The queen did not want to back down, studying him with just as much seriousness. "Queen Elsa, of Arendalle." Anna also hurriedly curtseyed, with a tight smile. "Princess Anna of Arendalle." No one said a word after that, and she publicly displayed her uneasiness, clearing her throat. "Okay.. h-how 'bout we take this inside? Yeah?" The princess looked to her sister. "Elsa?" The other woman snapped out of her trance and nodded. "Ah, yes, please do come, prince Thomas. We will further discuss your reasons for coming to Arendalle today.. and other such matters." The prince tipped his head in understanding and followed the two to the castle. "Of course."

...

Once inside, the three of them sat awkwardly around an elegant coffee table on a terrace that overlooked the castle gardens, the birds singing a tune in a summery rejoice. It was oddly entertaining how the prince that sat in front of them stood out in the bright scenery. As if a patch of night became lost in daylight.

Anna sat nearest to the door, eyeing the calm prince as she sipped her tea. Elsa began the conversation. "So, prince Thomas. What are your reasons for coming here? It takes a week's voyage to arrive here, and I'm sure that word has only recently reached the Southern Isles of what has occurred in Arendalle." The man laid his cheek on his fist, leaning on the table while staring at the gardens. But when Elsa asked him this, his chocolate brown eyes turned to her, and replied with another question. "... prince Hans. He did something awful, didn't he?"

A loud clatter startled them and the two people turned their heads. Anna had laid down her teacup, but Elsa could see that her fingers were clenched around the fine china. _This must be hard on her... _Elsa thought with a sad look.

"Y-you know what? Umm, something's been bothering me for a while. I think I'll take a stroll, yeah," Anna got up from her seat and inched towards the door, smiling kindly. "I am so sorry, and please excuse me." With that, she left the terrace, and Elsa saw, that though she seemed like he childish girl she always was, her eyes didn't match her kind spark for once.

The queen watched her go, and it wasn't until a few seconds when she realized that she still had a guest. Mildly embarrassed, Elsa smiled apologetically to Thomas. "I greatly apologize for that. It's still a sensitive topic here.. but yes, he did do something awful.. And again, I am sorry." The indifferent prince tipped his head to the side in slight confusion. "Why are you sorry? Shouldn't it be I that apologizes?" The queen shook her head at this, holding her tea in between her hands.

"No.. I'm apologizing because I wasn't able to stop him and realize his own problems because I was so caught up in my own. And because of that, it led into even greater measures," As she spoke, the man only listened, so Elsa decided to continue. "If everyone were to know the real story, and see through his act of justice, they would know that banishment, or prison, or even execution would be relevant as punishment against treason. But I... I think something terrible will happen to his heart, if he were to be brought home in chains. It would become even more frozen and perhaps even break if he were to have no one at his side, and only look at him as a betrayer... or monster. And I.. can see myself in him," Still the man did not speak, and Elsa looked him in the eyes once more. "So I ask, please keep his crimes a secret, and bring him home, not as a prisoner, but as the prince he is."

Thomas looked down at his own drink, seeing himself in its reflection, his face still indifferent. After a moment of silence, the prince simply stated, "Fool, what do you take me for?"

Suddenly the air between them grew colder and the hairs on Elsa's neck stood up. _Excuse me? _She knew she was pleading, and she knew there was a chance he'd refuse. Perhaps she even predicted he'd say those exact same words, yet she couldn't help but feel crossed. Though she stayed silent, a chilled breeze swept between the two, with Thomas still looking at his reflection through the Earl Grey. "Hans... Whatever that dunce says or thinks, is not true. We.. are brothers who despise him, no? He probably told you this. However,"

"Not all of us, his brothers, hate him. We ridicule and mock with laughs, but that's what brothers do. Perhaps some of us really do dislike him, but I know I'm aware that we are not all the same; we all have our own opinions."

Elsa felt a little dumbfounded at what he said. Prince Thomas then looked at her with his chin leaning on folded hands, a small smile playing on the corners of his lips. "You imagined us to be ruthless royals, who would cut the weakest link in our chain, no? And that perhaps I came here to pick up the Southern Isle's trash to be condemned? If there were such thing, I would not even bother to pick up that kind of trash. So why am I here, when I could care less? Because we are brothers. And from seeing your sister, I can see that you know a sibling's love, as I know mine."

The cold breeze blew Elsa's way and she could smell the strange fuschia scent once again. It was unusually comforting now, and the dark man sitting across from her no longer seemed isolated nor suspicious, but rather, simply knowledgeable and wise. He knew just the right words to say, as if he could read minds – no, _hearts_. This man saw right through her and spoke it out loud – as well as Hans', perhaps. Yet she had to clear one thing out of her mind. "Then why did you leave him alone?"

The prince gazed calmly, not faltering for even a minute. "Did he tell you this?" Elsa furrowed her brows and a slight blush of embarrassment tinted her cheeks. "No.. I simply assumed from his.. actions.."

As she said this, Thomas took a sip from his tea, closing his eyes to relish in the taste. "If one's heart is clouded, it blinds the eyes of what really goes on... Queen Elsa, I've been by his side always, even if he thinks me to be like the others. It's because we are brothers that he trusts me the most. But it's also because of that that he trusts me the least."

The queen never knew that it was like this, feeling slightly confused. But she smiled into her cup as she took a sip, feeling a little more relieved. Still, it troubled her that he turned out to be like that. Yet it was comforting to know that there was someone there, and that he was ignorant of that. She'd rather he be ignorant than truly having no one. Thomas' next words disrupted her thoughts, and the woman looked to meet him in the face, seeing... that it held a warm and true smile.

"I once said, 'if only someone really loved him.' Now I know that there is." Elsa's eyebrows raised to her hairline, and a blush spread across her cheeks. "E-excuse me?" He gave a soft smirk and a huff, standing from his seat.

The man then bowed to her, his right hand on his heart. "I assure you that his social status will remain unscathed. The dignitaries will only think of his actions as those of justice, and not treason. Though I cannot prevent rumours, you have my word that the real story remains confidential." All Elsa could do was tip her head in acknowledgement in the sudden pace of events, but she was still glad that Thomas understood the situation, and that he understood Hans so well.

* * *

><p>It was only darkness that clouded him after that. He didn't want to dream anymore. Dreams only hurt his heart – feeling empty was better than feeling his own self hate. Then a soft voice woke him from his slumber, but he pretended to be asleep, for the sake of caution.<p>

"... The Queen looked at him silently, thinking all the while that, provided he did not ask her hand in marriage, there was no need to call the goblins.

Then, to her great surprise, she discovered that his behaviour touched her heart. She realized she was becoming quite fond of this hunter, much younger and more handsome than her other suitors. Time passed and the Snow Queen dared not admit, not even to herself, that she would actually like to marry the young man.  
>In the meantime, the goblins kept watch over their mistress; first they were astonished... then..."<p>

Then the voice trailed off. He still couldn't picture who it was, but it seemed familiar, and comforting, a lullaby to his ears. He wondered if he was still dreaming. Hans also wanted to know the rest of the story. What happened to the hunter? Before he could ponder on about this, the prince felt his face being.. poked? Should he move? Somehow the man got the feeling that he shouldn't. Yet it made him feel odd.

He flushed madly and felt his temperature rise. Hans wasn't used to being like this. His face felt warm as the blush spread all over. Suddenly a palm covered his entire forehead, heartening and lovely. _Who is this?_

"..thought you caught a cold there." It was then he realized. _Elsa? _The hand recoiled all too soon, before he could enjoy the new moment. It almost made him laugh as she sighed loudly in an un-queen-like way. It was adorable. It seemed like to her, there was no one there to watch, which amused him that she did such a thing in his presence. The man felt her brush his hair aside, which gave him shivers. He would not dare move. Then, something... soft brushed against his forehead.

_?_

He dared not to move. He could not move.

Immediately her footsteps receded away. He heard another voice, and the two conversed. But then soon their voices faded away as the two people exited the room. It was when he heard the wooden doors click shut did he truly awake. Hans looked at the fine patterns embroidered on the white wooden doors. The man sighed loudly and closed closed his eyes. He paused for a moment, a flush spreading across his cheeks. Then a smirk played on the corners of his lips, a surge of elation gathering up in his chest. Hans wanted to fist pump the air – to receive a... a _kiss _from... _her. _

_Did that mean...? Could she possibly... feel the same? For me?_

The prince almost forgot about what happened in the previous days – almost. His smirk slowly turned into a sad contemplation. The bed curtains suddenly seemed a little bluer than they already were. _No, who would love their attempted killer? I... I'm a criminal now. I don't deserve this happiness that I'm feeling. Far away... far away from here, I have to leave. There's no where I can go – nowhere.. nowhere. That's where I belong... nowhere.. I have to get out of here. _

Before he could get up from bed, the door clicked open, and it was too late for him to pretend to be asleep, so Hans turned his head to see who it was, and frowned. Strawberry-blonde hair first came into his line of eyesight, and he knew immediately who came to visit. Anna saw that he was awake and the two simply stared down each other for a while, him laying on the bed and her standing looking down at him. He didn't talk, so she did first. Her first words weren't exactly a welcoming.

"Hans, I know you're a jerk and all and I understand that - I really do but-"

"So you're saying you understand that I am a jerk." He smiled charmingly at her but inside a vein showed. W_hat is she trying to say? This rude girl._ It was amazing how quickly their spout began. Still, he would keep up his facade, no matter what happened before that made him blush, that made him downcasted.

She sighed exasperatingly and hunched her shoulders, head tipped to the side. Anna seemed like she didn't want to talk to him anymore, despite spending only a few seconds in the room with him. But she did anyways. "That's what I just said, didn't I?" The girl shook her head and waved her hands in front of herself. "Anyways, that's not what I'm talking about. what I'm saying is that even though you're a jerk-"

"You don't have to keep on repeating that you know-"

"Well I am, so pay attention." They both stared down each other and after a beat of silence Anna continued on. This time Hans decided to stay quiet. "Anyhow, even though you're a jerk - don't say anything - and even though I now hate you, I just have to ask, why?"

The girl was getting on his nerves. Such a cliche question. She could've at least been a little more spontaneous about it. Wasn't the episode in the library enough to get the message through? This was a general statement, really. He needed to leave, but Anna was in the way and he didn't want to get himself into any more trouble than he was already in. Hans was a desperate man, but he wasn't stupid.

"'Why' what?"

"Well, I know you're probably thinking, 'Oh, for the throne obviously, duuh.'" At this she made exaggerated hand gestures and an awful impression of Hans' voice. He was confident that he had a beautiful voice and a just motive; she just made them sound stupid. Just as he was about to reply pretentiously she cut him off, serious again. "B-but no. that's not what I mean by 'why'. I know I'm not the brightest - mostly Elsa - but I know a falter when I see one. Well, at least I think I do. Well maybe not - but it was plain on your face. And you showed it several times. Cause at first you were like, 'rawr, imma be jerk and betray you by abandoning you and attempting to kill your sister for the sake of becoming king-"

"Princess, Anna. Get to the point."

The girl stopped her talking charades and stood still, hands at her sides. "The point is, Hans, when you were about to kiss me - even though you weren't - I got the feeling that it wasn't that you 'wouldn't' but more that you 'couldn't'. You could've just kissed me then and there and it still wouldn't have worked - not that I would let you… maybe… back then. Anyway I'm over that! And so, you could've just played along and acted confused. But I don't know. If I were the bad guy I'd do that. Cause you know… yeah. Yet you couldn't kiss me because of another reason… is what I'm guessing."

Hans stayed silent. This girl was smarter than she appeared. He would give her credit for that. Anna continued on.

"And I know I don't remember much, but in my last moments just before I froze into ice, I was able to see your expressions; to see _you _falter. I mean - I _knew I_ wasn't going to make it because you were just too far, even though I dove in anyways - it would've been _impossible._ Still, you hesitated.. and – and I was able to.. make it."

The man had close to nothing now, but he still had his pride. Anna would be one of the last people he wanted to tell his _other _innermost thoughts, especially when he just began to acknowledge them. Hans was going to make up a lie when she again spoke up in the slight pause. "Hans, I'm going to ask again. Why did you falter? Is there another goal other than the throne and your brothers?

Hans was beginning to get the feeling that Anna already knew, from the way she looked at him with pity and even slight curiosity. Of course a hint of dislike was shown as well. Not that Hans could blame the girl. But then again, she could be wrong. She could be thinking about something totally different.

He then laughed and sat up, shaking his head. "No, those were my only goals. And even if you propose that I have another motive, I leave it to you to use your imagination and come up with what that 'motive' you speak of could possibly be."

Hans was about to look at her mockingly, but suddenly his head whipped to the side and his left cheek stung. Taken by surprise, the man gazed at Anna, bewildered. She was upset, but seemed to take a slight satisfaction in his reaction. He rubbed his face and felt it burn. _Ah, so I've been slapped. _Still, the girl continued to study him with sympathy. "That's for everything you did – to me, Arendalle, Elsa, and to yourself, prince Hans. And for not knowing the answer to your own purpose."

With that, Anna exited the room, leaving him sitting dumbfounded. Man, as soon as he woke up, so many things came all too suddenly. This was bad for his health. The sooner Hans got out of there, the better he would feel. His cheek still stung.

Hans silently got up from the bed and noticed he was dressed only in a nightgown. Frantically looking around he found his clothes on the low table near the fire place. The man jostled towards it and hurriedly put on his clothes. Strangely, this took him quite a while, especially when it came to his scarf. "Blast it..."

Hans struggled to put on his jacket with one hand while he began to walk towards the door. But just as he was about to open grab the door handle, it opened and he came face to face with a rather unexpected person... a person he didn't want to meet. _Damn it! Why are so many things happening at once?_ Hans grimaced and staggered backwards, his back hitting the bed post. "Thomas...!"

Arendalle's butler, _Kai, was it?_ cleared his throat in the background and put his hands behind his back. "Ah, I see that you are awake now. I shall leave the two of you to your business now." And so, the butler left, leaving the two people in an awkward silence.

"I'm such a fool, aren't I?" Hans began. A silence so dense filled the room, choking Hans with his brother's unspoken words. Wisps of thick clear fog surrounded the two. The dark-haired man just had that kind of air around him, which always silenced others. Even the Duke of Weselton would slow his rant into a stutter if he were to stare down this person. Hans knew that anything that this brother of his said was bound to be spontaneous. The man inched slowly backwards towards the window. Still, he felt his frown deepen with the other's reply.

"Only fools say that they are, only to be told that they are not for such comforts. However, I will not provide you that luxury." Hans preferred it when he just stayed silent. Thomas did tend to talk in such a way that would make sense, but few would actually understand – and remain composed.

He played with the soft fabric of his jacket, keeping his warm smile on despite knowing that Thomas already saw through his facade. Hans looked kindly at his brother and clutched at the material. "Then what will you provide me exactly? Surely not to just tell me this after a week of sailing from home?" The other man didn't react any differently, simply looking at him cooly through his lashes from where he stood.

Hans' back touched the window, and in a flash he attempted to pry open the frame, but it wouldn't budge. The man stopped his frenzied effort to awkwardly look at Thomas. He was still idle, yet a hint of slight amusement showed in his soft smile.

Ignoring Hans' actions, Thomas went on. "Instead I will say that you are a fool. The most foolish, blind and ignorant of them all. The windows have been locked, just in case you got any ideas once you awoke." Hans clutched at the blankets even tighter, but his face didn't change – for the sake of his pride. "I didn't take you for the type to spout such things so easily, brother."

Thomas went on as if he never talked. "And where will you go once it is open? We are on the third floor and the snow has thawed, making no soft landing for you." The man then leaned against the window, crossing his arms. Their eyes met for a long time, and Hans wanted to know just what was behind that chocolate gaze of his. Thomas was unpredictable, and the man wanted nothing more than to have him get out of his hair. His jade green eyes glared daggers upon his face, flashing a warning to leave without words.

"Why are you here, Thomas? And why am I not the prisoner that I am, but rather, a _guest_." But his brother simply went to one of the grand chairs near the fireplace, supporting his head with a fist on the arm of the chair. while gazing upon the dry logs. "...You've been pardoned by Queen Elsa. You're lucky that Arendalle has such a forgiving queen."

"W-what..?!" Hans couldn't believe it. Why would Elsa do that? Her kindness only made him less worthy of a person than he already was. To think that she also.. cared for him while he slept. _Why am I receiving things I no longer deserve?!_

His brother observed silently, before continuing. "I am simply here to pick you up. You're 'true' motives behind your actions towards Princess Anna and Queen Elsa have been kept confidential. This will be your story: you tried everything you could to help Princess Anna, but she fell cold in your arms, and you assumed her to be dead. Out of revenge you went to slay Queen Elsa, for her sake and for Arendalle, but realized that Princess Anna had not passed when she leapt in front of your sword. A misunderstanding was made, and so you have redeemed yourself... The only ones that know the truth are you, Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, the ice master, Kristoff Bjorgman, and I. Queen Elsa is explaining the situation to the other dignitaries and diplomats before they go their way.

The other prince narrowed his eyes, feeling disbelief in this. His words made him want to scoff. But then again, anything Thomas said was always true and – dare he say it – logical.

"And the Duke of Weselton?"

"Charged of treason."

The man got up from the windowsill and walked to the chair opposite of Thomas, laughing hysterically as he sat. _Why him and not me? Am I not worse?_

He wanted to change the subject somewhat, sighing loudly while closing his eyes. "I am perfectly capable of going back to the Southern Isles on my own-" The other prince cut him off. "Oh but you aren't, and whether you like it or not," Thomas leaned forward on his chair, face serious. "in the Southern Isles, I'm the only ally you've got that knows the truth.

A deep silence passed between them, dense as a creeping fog. Hans opened his eyes to to study this man he called his brother. _It wouldn't be wise to have him as an enemy; he knows all too much. But what does he want from me? They never talk to me unless they want something. _He wanted to know what it was. "Why are you doing this? I thought you didn't care."

Hans didn't notice, but, as slight as it was, Thomas' face softened.

"It's what brothers do."

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><p>Hans, see? You're not alone. Lol plot twist. Anyway, thank you for being patient and reading through this despite the loongg update! Reviewfav/follow and stay tuned. Credits go to the Snow Queen story by Hans Christian Andersen for the short part of the story Elsa read to Hans.


	7. Chapter 6: Departure

Hello, again! Before you begin reading, I just wanted to state that there's nothing like the feeling of finding out that one of your readers is someone you know O_O... ehem.. also, I apologize if this chapter's a little short this time... But thank you all for getting me into 20+ reviews, cause that's like, the most I've ever had and each one made me so happy (made me scream out loud and my friend was like 'wut' and I was like, 'I actually feel cool for once') but anyway, without further ado, please read and fav/follow/review! Thank you! You've brought my self-esteem way up.

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><p>Elsa stood behind the grand doors to the library, taking deep sighs. Anna also stood with her and took both of her hands. "It's okay, Elsa. You'll be awesome out there – and don't worry about freezing anyone, I'll be right beside you... even though I don't want this – but it's your choice and I trust your judgements – but I gotta ask.. why're we doing this again?" She made sure to especially strain her voice on her last sentence. "We talked about this already, Anna." Elsa replied. The other girl shook her head, but sighed in agreement. "I know, I know. Just wanted to make sure that you're sure about going through this," Anna's face brightened up once again. "Well! You ready to convince these big wigs that that bloke is innocent?"<p>

Elsa laughed in agreement, and with that, the two royals nodded to the staff nearby and the doors opened for them. Inside Kai bowed and all who sat at the table turned their heads, standing up at their entrance. The dignitaries who decided to stay in Arendalle for a little while were present – excluding the Duke of Weselton.

"I present Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendalle." Elsa beaconed for the dignitaries to sit again before taking her spot at the end of the table. Anna sat on the seat to her right, giving her a small thumbs up for luck. This made Elsa feel a little less tense amongst the crowd of men, both young and old. And so, as soon as the queen took her seat, the meeting commenced. Yet it didn't go off to a good start. "As you all know, you are gathered here today to discuss a matter, and to clear up a misunderstanding that has occurred only a few days ago. And I am now present to state that Prince Hans of the Southern Isles is to be pardoned for his actions." Her voiced remained strong – she needed it to be, for the sake of him.

Immediately did they protest, and some even stood up on from their seats, their hands flat upon the fine polished wood.

"This is absurd!" one of the older men spouted.

"Why would such a heinous act be pardoned?" a young dignitary claimed.

The Scottish depute looked to her. "Queen Elsa, please reconsider your choice – that man is a menace." he requested in his deep accent.

She quietly listened to each one cooly. But the men wouldn't stop, and soon they began to argue amongst themselves as well – at what Hans' punishment should be, despite what she had just told them. Anna looked to Elsa uneasily at how events were progressing.

"Banishment!" Elsa was beginning to get tired of their ignorance.

"Treason deserves at least sixty years in jail-" What would it take to get their understanding?

"No! Death by-" The woman took a breath, and let it out quietly.

"Enough." A chill ran through the room, casting a dark shadow in the bright room and dropping the temperature drastically. Only Elsa remained the same amongst the shivering people. Suddenly everyone became aware of how powerful the queen really was.

This got their attention back at her, and the grand chamber became bright once more. Now that all eyes were on her, she was able to speak. "You all wanted me gone as well before, did you not?" None dared to speak, for they knew that it was true. Elsa went on. "Prince Hans is not completely at fault. He undoubtedly believed that Princess Anna did die during the winter storms, and so became infuriated with me for freezing her heart, trying to slay me out of revenge for both the princess and Arendalle."

At this, Anna piped up, "Oh, but we're not together anymore... um, just s-so you know. Yeah." But she began to feel uncomfortable when the dignitaries and deputes simply stared at her, some with a shake of the head while others held back amused smirks. Anna didn't know what to do and stuttered on. "H-he was just – you know – too clingy, and stuff. And – and I.. I-I felt the need t-to-" Elsa saw that she needed help and put her hand on Anna's, stopping her nervous rant and realizing the awkwardness of everyone. Her sister looked around and apologized. The queen smiled at Anna, telling her it was alright, before looking to the many faces present at the table.

"Almost anyone would have done what Prince Hans did if they were to be in his shoes at the time, seeking to aid Arendalle even if it meant slaying its queen. And so, pardoning such an honourable man is the most suitable choice for his acts." Even though the majority began to sympathize, there were still a few protests. _It can't be helped._

Amongst the idle discussions, the French depute spoke up, his heavy pronunciations filling the room. "I agree with Queen Elsa. It is true that I too, was quite afraid during that time, and I understand how Prince Hans had felt, when he said that the princess had passed, how broken-hearted he must've felt." The other diplomats who were there that day also piped in their thoughts at that time, and eventually, the dignitaries began to relate to each other.

"Yeah, I would've done the same thing."

"To save Arendalle-"

"I would've done what was right before anyone began to get hurt."

Even though she was now getting their empathy, Elsa felt a little more at ease. Yet she couldn't help but feel a little sigh of venom in their words. _Why am I feeling negative emotions being directed at me for some reason... I should be happy for this. _She shook away the thought and smiled at their newfound understanding.

However, even though the 'misunderstanding' was gone, inside her heart, the queen worriedly knew the truth – that Hans really did have bad intentions. But she couldn't let it end like that.

...

Elsa sighed in relief as she and Anna waved the dignitaries off for a safe sail home.

Yet, there was still one boat still left behind. Anna noticed this as well and laughed hysterically while slowly backing off. "Oh, no no no no no. I stayed for the other people, but I am sooo not staying for this one. I know we were going to be together in this, but... I.. I just don't want to see him..." Her words faded away and her jolly face became sullen. _She really doesn't want to stay. _Anna's hands clutched at her green dress. She frowned at the boat, a somewhat distant look in her eyes, angry at the thought of that prince.

Elsa smiled at her sister, loving her even though she couldn't stay. "I understand, Anna. It's okay. You can go now. But thank you.. really." Anna smiled back and gave her a big hug before going off. But after a few steps, Elsa called out to her, making Anna turn. "Oh, um, Anna?"

"Hmm?"

The queen paused. "Ah... no, it's alright."

"Oh, okay. See you at dinner, Elsa."

"Yeah."

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><p>Hans walked just behind his brother, fully dressed and as brilliant as ever as the two stepped unto the docks. His brother's instructions echoed in the back of his mind. <em>"You will return to the kingdom with me and pretend that the story I set for you really did occur. If word gets out of your true motives, all the hard efforts the queen put in to save you will be for naught."<em>

The man felt like someone else was thinking for him – but what did that matter now a days? Hans was too afraid to think for himself – what if his inner thoughts drowned him? He huffed silently in disgust and kept his solemn eyes on the ground. _Thomas... what is your __**true **__goal? Don't give me bullshit on 'brothers'._

It was then when the two made it to the beginning of the wooden planks leading to the ship. Without waiting for Hans, Thomas gracefully greeted the person in front of them.

It was also then when Hans noticed who that person was. A true and unique ice beauty that stood out in the common hues around her. She held her hands to her chest, looking at him with those true blue sapphires. Hans wanted to say it. _You're beautiful. _He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, and he shut it with a clench of the jaw. A clip of all the terrible things that occurred in the past few days flashed across his eyes, and suddenly, they were the only things he saw. Lying to Arendalle, betraying Anna.. attempting to kill... Elsa. Refusing to remember her, refusing to acknowledge himself.

Elsa looked as if she was expecting him to say something, and so, a bit of sadness showed on her face when he didn't. While Hans stayed silent, he observed Thomas and her exchange a few words. His brother then softly smiled and proceeded forward to the docks.

Now it was just Hans and Elsa, like so many times before. Yet for once, he felt completely exposed to her. The man couldn't look her in the face, staring only at her shoes. How pretty they sparkled. With his head cast down, Hans decided to speak his mind. She deserved it. He didn't; not in his state. "I.. am sorry, for everything. I... wish to redeem myself before I can face you... once more, as me." The last part of his words seemed to fade away. How shamed he felt, unworthy and stained with guilt.

Elsa put her hand on his cheek, but only her fingertips dared to make contact, soft and cool. Hans' gaze slowly rose upwards. His gaze fell upon the snowflake clip, and his heart leapt, caught in his throat. It brought too many memories, both soothing and painful, so he looked elsewhere. Yet he still didn't meet her eyes, staring only at her lips as they mouthed her true thoughts. "Hans it's-" He turned his head, away from her. The prince couldn't bear to hear what she was going to say; he knew she was too good despite everything. Hans didn't want to hear it because he didn't deserve her forgiveness. "Elsa... please." His fists clenched and unclenched as he went up the planks to the ship, not daring to give a second glance back. He didn't want something so pure to be tainted by someone like him.

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><p>Hans didn't give his brother a second glance, striding swiftly into the ship as Thomas stood at the side to observe Elsa. The Queen saw all of this from afar. She elegantly waved goodbye as the ship began to set sail. Sunset streaks painted the evening sky; beautiful hues of orange and red staining salmon pink and subtle blues.<p>

"Hans..." she whispered, the Southern Isles ship now a dot in the horizon. Elsa wanted to tell him that it was alright; to embrace the prince and say that she forgave him. Since they were kids did she always want him to stay by her side. And since the time she saw him in the beginning of her coronation did she feel anxious, confused... and frankly.. warm.

"... how long will it take for you.. to face me once more..? ... because I..." She spoke her heart aloud, to no one in particular. The Snow Queen's emotions lingered within, thawed. "I... I think I love you."

End.

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><p>Uhaha, what a way to end. Thank you all for sticking with me throughout this awesome adventure of Frozen Hearts: The Unorthodox Edition. And yes ladies and gentlemen, this is the last chapter – ha ha... <strong>But the journey isn't over.<strong> In a while I will make a second fanfic based off of this one – a sequel – a future cannon! Keep updated on it! In the meanwhile, I thank you, please review (they motivate me when I doubt myself) and look forward to the second fanfic, part 2 – _**Thawed Boundaries: The Unorthodox Edition!**_ A story with more romance, drama and humour, I tell you. Stay tuned! ~(*0*~).


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